If ever you wanted to get a discussion going that would leave people pounding at the keyboard, try talking about extended breastfeeding. Tasha Maile hopes her video that shows her nursing her 3-year-old son will encourage other moms to breastfeed their little ones — even if they need to restart the process.
Maile, who goes by the name "Spiritual Tasha Mama" on YouTube, isn't camera-shy at all. In fact, she loves posting pro-breastfeeding videos — including one that breaks down why it's important to nurse your toddler (spoiler alert: Tasha is a firm believer that human babies need human milk, and not the liquid gold that comes from cows).
Needless to say, Tasha's video has received a ton of attention, both from people who support her endeavors and those who question why she's still breastfeeding her 3-year-old son.
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I nursed my now-2-year-old son and am currently nursing my 7-month-old boy. As much as I'm thankful to be able to breastfeed, personally I don't think I would continue breastfeeding past a certain age. I get the nutritional value and desire to have "human milk," but I don't know, I would put my leche in a cup. At least for me, there are plenty of other ways to bond with my older child (he's been off the boob for about a year), especially now that his attention span — and ability to do more things — are more advanced than when he was a baby.
With that said, I don't see anything wrong with this mother's desire to nurse her child. We've all heard the World Health Organization's recommendation to exclusively breastfeed until age 2 and beyond, so it's not that far-fetched of an idea. If anything, I can see some folks having issues with posting videos online (this 3-year-old might not have had a say), but again, that is Mom's decision.
More from The Stir: New Study Highlights the Downside of Extended Breastfeeding
While I do get that some believe if you put it out there, folks have the right to comment, I don't think we should judge someone else's parenting decisions — unless a child's well-being is truly at risk. Mommy Wars are real, and often yield hurtful comments that do next to nothing to bring us together.
No matter what you think is best, it's important to respect everyone, regardless of whether they agree with you or not.
Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/embed/stPSWKejbws
Image via Spiritual Tasha Mama/YouTube
