Zatera Ul

I received a summons for jury duty when TLG (The Little Guy) was just two weeks old. There’s an option to postpone it for 6 months, but only one postponement is allowed. As if 6-month-olds nurse any less than newborns; we’ll have barely started introducing solid foods by then. I wrote a letter and called and the best they would give me was a year’s postponement. Minnesota is not a family-friendly jury duty state. Though, sadly, it is listed as such in many places on the web; an exemption for nursing mothers was proposed a few years ago, but not passed.

Next year when they call me up again they’ll be hearing about all the accomodations that I’ll need for pumping while I’m there. (Just having to obtain and deal with a breast pump is going to be a major imposition.) One-year-olds can still be getting 75% or more of their nutrition from breastmilk. There are lots of benefits to nursing a toddler: instant comfort after bumps and falls, optimal nutrition for when they get sick, and, best of all, it is the one food that they can’t spill on the floor.