I just wanted to share a few thoughts, to go along with Lana's accounts
of her children who were nursed well past the cultural norm.

My Thomas, who is nearly eight, continued nursing occasionally until he
was four and a half.  Many people thought that I was making a big baby
of him and that he would always be dependant.

Last night was his final meet of his first season wrestling.  He
finished undefeated for the season, pinning his opponents in the first
round without hardly working up a sweat.  This goes along with his
trememndous accomplishments in tumbling, and anything else he has tried.

I can't take credit for his athletic genes, which he inherited from both
of his birth parents.  However, I do take at least partial credit for
the optimal development of his body, and especially his brain which,
considering that he spent the first half hour of his life with both
lungs collapsed, should not be normal.

I also take some credit for the fact that he is very confident and
self-assured, which I believe has every bit as much to do with
succeeding in athletics as physical abilities.  I think the fact that he
got the nurturing he needed also contributed to his ability to be
considerate of others that he comes in contact with in sports.

I am very proud of Thomas and also thankful for those few wonderful
people who encouraged me to ignore the critics and do what I felt was
best in allowing him to nurse for as long as he felt the need to.
I feel that the world would be a much better place if every child was
permitted to have his needs met in the way that God and  nature
intended.  Every effort we make to help children have this priviledge is
extremely valuable, not only to that child, but to society as well!

Aloha,
Darillyn