Diane, I loved your comment about how when someone weans at a year you feel
a bit disappointed, even though it's a long time to nurse for most people in
this country.

When my daughter (now in 2nd year university) was in high school, one of her
health classes included a section on breastfeeding. Her teacher announced to
the class that she had breastfed her own two children "for a long time."
Lisa (who nursed until she was almost 5) promptly put up her hand and asked
"how long." The teacher's response: four months. Lisa snorted and said
"that's just getting started."

While I was glad that there was a section on breastfeeding being taught, the
amount of misinformation in the course was horrible. They were told that you
can't get pregnant while breastfeeding (Lisa had to give the teacher a
little talk on tandem nursing), that it always hurts in the beginning but
you just have to endure the pain until your nipples get tough, etc. Lisa
spent a lot of time arguing with the teacher. But then, those kids who nurse
for five years seem to always be arguing with teachers anyway.

Teresa Pitman
LLL Leader, Oakville, Ontario