Weird-My sister-in-law breastfeeds her teenaged son - and her husband

Dear Coleen,

I liked my sister-in-law from the first time we met years ago. She has two sons, with my brother and the eldest is 13.

I’ve had concerns for some time as this boy’s overweight – he’s 12st, but the biggest problem is my sister-in-law still breastfeeds both boys.

Our whole family feels very uncomfortable when we visit and she’s sitting on the sofa with one of the lads lying across her on her breast.

The problem is getting worse as my kids go to the same school as their boys and after a falling out they told some other children the boys still breastfeed. Now they’re getting called names and someone even put a nappy in one of the boys’ school bags.

They’re both lovely boys, I feel upset for them. I want to speak to the school but don’t know where to start. I feel so sorry for them – it’s not their fault.We have keys to each other’s houses and last week I let myself in to find her breastfeeding my brother.

They weren’t embarrassed at all. She just said, “Poor love, he’s got a bit of a cold and this will do him good”.

I didn’t know where to look – in fact I can’t look my brother in the eye any more.

You may be more worldly than I am and might tell me this is normal, but it just seems to wrong to me.

I’d love to hear your advice.

Coleen says..

I may be shot down in flames for saying it, but I think it’s weird. This is all about her, not her kids. There is no health benefit from breastfeeding children this age. In my opinion she doesn’t want her kids to grow up or not rely on her any more, and now she’s even including her husband. It’s selfish and needy.

Like you, I just feel desperately sorry for the boys because they won’t know any different and she’ll have convinced them it is normal. And now it’ll have become their security blanket. I don’t think it’s up to you to speak to the school, but if you get on so well with your sister-in-law, then try talking to her.

Acknowledge that you can’t tell her how to live her life, but stress that you’re worried about her boys being bullied – tell her what happened after the argument with your kids. And be honest that you – and the rest of the family – feel very uncomfortable being around her if she’s going to breastfeed her sons.

I really think your sister-in-law has major problems – she’s looking for any excuse to breastfeed – even her husband. I actually don’t know anyone who wouldn’t find it weird. It really isn’t fair on these boys – I bet they don’t have many mates coming for sleepovers.

Wow-Workers at British-owned factory in France on strike because bosses only speak English

THE entire workforce of a British-owned factory in France is taking strike action because managers only speak English.

Around 184 French staff at the insulation firm are staging walk-outs because it is impossible to discuss wage rises and working conditions.

Shop steward Thierry Juvin said bosses could only say “bonjour” before talks broke down.Staff have been downing tools three times a day since the English management took over.France’s CGT union representative Pierrick Dumont said: “I don’t think it’s up to us to make the effort to speak English. We’re French workers based in France. Every meeting is an ordeal. "We have to have someone who translates everything into English and then anything our boss says has to be translated into French. This makes dialogue extremely slow, if not impossible.”

The former director left Thermal Ceramics, which makes ceramic fibre insulation at Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez near Lyon, in January and an English acting chief who can’t speak French was appointed.


 

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