Breastfeeding According to Second Graders

by Sophia Rangel

I wanted to share this story about the conversation of my 7-year- old daughter and her 8-year-old friend while walking home from school one day. My daughter, Hailey, came home from school and went straight to my bedroom where I was lying down nursing my 11-month-old baby.

Hailey said, "Mama, Tosha asked me if I'm going to feed my baby with the boobies or bottle when I grow up."

I replied, "Oh really... what did you tell her?"

My daughter said, "I just rolled my eyes." Then her friend said, "Well, I'm going to give my baby a bottle...feeding with the boobies is nasty!" And my daughter replied, "No it's not!! My mother does it all the time."

Her friend replied, "What if it bites you?" Then Hailey said, "My sister bites me all the time."

Again her friend said, "What if you're at the store and it's hungry?" I asked, "Did you tell her the baby can breastfeed in a sling?" My daughter said, "I know! That's what I told her."

Then Hailey asked, "Mama, Why do they make bottles anyway?" I said to my daughter, "Mija, (Spanish for daughter) some people can't breastfeed because they're sick or sometimes the baby is sick, and some people don't want to breastfeed. Maybe Tosha's mom didn't breastfeed her when she was a baby."

My daughter replied, "Uh...huh!" So I asked, "How do you know? Did she tell you?"

Hailey said, "No, but mama, I don't know one person who didn't breastfeed!"

I'm lying there wondering who all these people are that she's talking about. Finally, I came to the conclusion that she heard me (a few months ago) recalling the names of all the women throughout our family who had breastfed their babies.

In the midst of silence my daughter says, "Maybe Tosha doesn't know that breastfeeding is ordinary."

I just replied, "Maybe?"

This is just a reminder that children are observing, listening, and remembering what we say and do. This is why it's so important to be positive role models and nurture and support our daughters and sons because we really are molding our children into the kind of person they will become. And hopefully they will learn positive parenting skills needed to communicate and love through nurturing so they will be able to nurture their own children.

Sophia ~ mother of four daughters