Nursing Children (the other meaning)

I am not sure if this is a worrying sign, or a positive sign, but my 23 month old son, Henry, has found a new way to "help" his Mother and Father.

Henry regularly watches my wife, Marisa breast feed our 4 month old daughter, Gemma. In spite of being a little jealous, Henry has decided to try to help us as much as possible. He always wants to help strap Gemma into her carseat, or to play with her. Sometimes his playing is a little rough for Gemma, but she is already toughening up. When he hits her with something in the head, she just takes the whack like a pro-boxer rolling with the punches, and continues with life. No drama, no crying. In the back of my mind, I know she will have her revenge one day, and wonder if she is storing up all her anger to unleash on him when she is older.

In the last few days, Henry had taken help to a new level. He will go up to either Gemma, or one of his teddy bears, lift up his shirt and say, "Eat! Eat!" before trying to pull either Gemma or the teddy bear to his chest to breast feed from him. Once he thinks he is done feeding he will hit either Gemma or the teddy on the back and say, "burp, burp."

I am so proud of the fact that Henry is trying to help but a little disturbed that he wants to breast feed our daughter. The fact that, as I mentioned in a previous blog, he called my chest my "boob boobs" makes me think that in his opinion, all men are capable of breast feeding. At least that is what I am hoping. I am banking on his thoughts not being that Dad is so fat he has big boobs like Mum. Who knows, when Henry is old enough to be a Dad, they may have invented a way for men to breast feed, even though that does not sound like my cup of tea!

As my wife pointed out to me, however, at least Henry is not getting out the bottle and trying to formula feed Gemma yet. He is all about the "eau natural" breast feeding.

I fell pretty positive about his attitude towards boobs being for feeding at the moment,because I am certain that during his teenage years he will discover a new purpose for "boob boobs" as well as other things.

Just thinking about that makes me realize how much I should treasure these young, innocent baby years.