My daughters (age 17) have been big BF promoters for years! They are very
"involved with others" (i.e. nosy) teenagers, and any time, any place they
hear people talking about BFing in a negative way, and especially if they're
hearing someone spreading misinformation about BF, they don't hesitate for a
second to leap right in and correct them. They also have on several
occasions come home and said "Mom, I heard these girls talking about you on
the bus (or wherever it was) - they were saying that they were going to quit
breastfeeding, but they saw you at WIC and you helped them, and now they're
happy." (I always dread this, because I'm always afraid they'll be saying
"that breastfeeding lady at WIC was trying to make me BF and all I wanted
was formula for my baby." - if my girls have overheard anything like that,
they've kept it to themselves!) My daughter once got me hooked into doing a
free home visit/consultation, when her boyfriend's aunt was having problems:
"Oh, my mom will come right over, she doesn't charge money!".

My son (almost 22), on the other hand, says "Mom, can't you just tell them
you're a nurse?" His male friends, like my daughters' boyfriends, though,
are always quite taken aback when I say what I do, and after they get over
the blatant use of the "breast" word, usually have something positive to
say. I find it interesting, touching, and powerful how many of these young
guys say that when they have babies, they want them to be breastfed!

Our house overflows with teenagers, and none of them think BFing is gross or
yucky or any of those things. And the kids my kids know who have had babies
have all been very successful breastfeeding moms!

Cathy Bargar RN, IBCLC Ithaca NY

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