The End of Two Eras

After 2 years and 4 months, Caleb and Joshua are now officially weaned. The last time they nursed was exactly one week ago. Many of you are probably surprised to learn that I was still nursing them up until one week ago. I haven't openly shared this with a lot of people, since in the United States it's culturally unacceptable to nurse past 12 months, and I am not the kind of person who likes to stir things up. I've had a pediatrician roll her eyes and practically scowl at me when I made it clear that I didn't intend to wean the boys at 12 months, and I know that most other people think I'm pretty crazy for nursing them for so long. What you may not know is that compulsory weaning by age 1 is a cultural phenomenon specific to the U.S. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding until at least age two. And my mom has told me that when she was growing up in Korea, it was perfectly normal to see young children running around and playing, occasionally taking a break to have a drink of their mama's milk.

So, why did I do it? Well, first of all Caleb and Joshua showed no interest in weaning when they turned one, so I saw no point in denying them something that was so healthy for them. Also, they have been extremely picky eaters and up until recently have shown very little interest in fruits and vegetables. By nursing them, I could make sure that they were getting a diet of healthy food, albeit indirectly. Furthermore, a child who is breastfed beyond 12 months is:

• Less likely to develop food allergies.


• Less likely to get ear infections and other illnesses.


• More likely to maintain their emotional attachment to a person rather than being forced to switch to an inanimate object such as a teddy bear, blanket, or pacificer, setting the stage for a life of people-orientation, rather than materialism.


• More likely to have a higher IQ. Since a child’s brain is dramatically growing during the first few years not just months of life, some believe that this could account for the differences in IQ between breastfed and bottle-fed children. Numerous studies show that breastfeeding boosts IQ in children regardless of the income or educational status of their mothers.

Most research doesn’t currently look at children breastfed more than 24 months, because sadly most American women don’t nurse for more than just a few weeks, and most surveys indicate that only around 20 percent are still breastfeeding at 6 months. Here is an article that explains the benefits of extended breastfeeding in greater detail, in case you're interested.

The other "era" that has come to end in our home is cable TV. It was also cut off last Thursday. Without cable, we can't even get the networks or PBS. We hardly ever watched TV, anyway, and figured this would be a good way to save $42/month. We decided to seal the deal when we realized that's approximately 3 Chipotles or 2 Old Country Buffets each month :) The boys have a few Thomas the Tank Engine and Old School Sesame Street DVD's (well, the Sesame Street DVD's are technically Joe's) that they enjoy watching, but now that they are at the age where they can figure out how to work the remote, we didn't want them to get addicted to any shows, be bombarded with commercials, or catch a glimpse of any questionable content.

So there you have it- the end of two eras. Now do you think we're freaks or what? ;)