In my six and a half years of nursing my various children, I have 
noticed something very interesting:  it seems to be other women who are 
often the ones who are offended by it (perhaps they couldn't nurse 
themselves or weaned too soon and feel guilty when they see a happily 
nursing toddler).  I stop NIP around 3 1/2 years of age especially since 
my kids (well the older two and baby is looking like she'll be the same) 
are tall for their age so often mistaken for kids a couple of years 
older.  The only time I've ever been asked to relocate was 18 months ago 
in the eye doctor.  My son was five and needed to nurse following the 
trauma of having eye drops (he has autism and sensory processing issues 
so when I say traumatic, I'm not being dramatic - he went yesterday for 
his 6 month check and it took for of us with me literally sitting on him 
to get the dilating drops into him).  Anyway, a middle aged woman walked 
into the waiting room for the patients who have already been dilated, 
and then walked out to the main waiting room out front.  The dilating 
room was only half-full.  A minute later, the nurse came in and asked me 
if I could nurse in another room (they put us in an exam room and we 
actually got seen earlier so I didn't mind too much).  But I know that 
the woman who walked away complained.   On the reverse, while in the 
waiting room yesterday (same eye doctor) there were a good mix of men & 
women and mostly seniors.  The women didn't say a word when the baby was 
nursing but when the baby when from smiling and flirting to fussing a 
little and trying to lie down in my lap, they all recognized the signal 
and said "Oh we need our mama" or "Oh looks like someone's hungry." -- 
most natural thing in the world.  I find that interesting that senior 
citizen-aged males have been the ones to offer me the validating 
comments in the store or in a doctor's waiting room and it's the women 
who seem to become so offended by it (at least in my own limited 
experience that's who it seems to be and in talking with friends).

Margo

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