I got another call this week from a mother gearing up for a custody battle
with her ex-significant other (not her husband, as they never married).  It
was the SOS (Same Old Story) -- father never paid much attention to child,
never questioned mother's childrearing practices until the custody battle,
father has tons of money and influence, mother is a poor no-body, father
lives in one state, mother has moved back home to where she is from, where
her family and friends all are, father is accusing mother of abusing child
by breastfeeding him, of causing health problems such as cavities, of
encouraging *dependency* in the child so child won't want to come spent time
with daddy.  Father is asking for courts to make mother move back to same
state, and for joint custody, with child spending two weeks with Daddy and
two weeks with Mommy every month.  Father is also asking for courts to make
mother wean because it is physically and psychologically harmful to child.
This is exactly the same scenario I have dealt with in two other cases, but
in both of those the child was 3.5 years old.  In this case, the child is 15
months!  Can you imagine a 15 month old nursing child being expected to
shuttle back and forth between its parents every two weeks.  In both the
other cases, custody was awarded to father.  Keep your fingers crossed for
this one.  Mother has been in contact with Elizabeth Baldwin, and will be
using my chapter on weaning as evidence that nursing a 15 month old is
within the normal range.  Geeze Louise.  Thanks for letting me vent.

Kathy D.