Relationships often end over big issues (infidelity, finances, incompatibility). But one Reddit user’s relationship ended after his girlfriend found out he was br**stfed until the age of five.
The unusual detail, revealed in his mom’s photo journal, left his girlfriend “grossed out” and questioning trust in the relationship. Now, OP is wondering if he was wrong for never bringing it up.
One man’s girlfriend ended their two-year relationship after discovering he was br**stfed until age 5 via his mom’s photo journal, accusing him of hiding a “gross” secret
Extended br**stfeeding, sometimes called “full-term” or “natural-term” br**stfeeding, is more common worldwide than many people in the West assume.
The World Health Organization recommends exclusive br**stfeeding for the first six months, and then continued br**stfeeding “up to 2 years of age or beyond” as part of a healthy diet.
While br**stfeeding until age five is unusual in North America and Europe, research shows that in many cultures children nurse until three, four, or even longer without negative developmental consequences.
Pediatric studies suggest that extended br**stfeeding can provide ongoing immune benefits, nutritional support, and comfort for the child.
Dr. Jack Newman, a Canadian pediatrician specializing in lactation, has noted that “there is no age at which br**stfeeding suddenly becomes nutritionally insignificant or emotionally harmful”, though cultural attitudes often frame it differently.
That said, social context plays a major role. In societies where weaning typically occurs around one year, extended br**stfeeding may strike outsiders as “strange” or “codependent.” Research in the Journal of Human Lactation highlights that stigma against older nursing is largely cultural, not biological.
As for relationships, psychologists emphasize that adult partners are not entitled to know every childhood detail unless it directly affects the relationship.
Dr. Alexandra Solomon, a couples therapist and professor, stresses that transparency is about present behaviors and boundaries, not about disclosing every piece of family history unless it becomes relevant. In this case, the fact that OP was br**stfeeded until five has no bearing on his adult intimacy or independence.
Check out how the community responded:
These Reddit users called the ex’s reaction overblown, defending his silence
Some commenters saw it as a non-issue from his childhood
However, some Redditors leaned no one was wrong, noting the ex’s right to leave but questioning the mom’s journal
OP’s story touches on cultural taboos, privacy, and relationship expectations. While extended br**stfeeding is rare in some places, it isn’t inherently damaging. What really ended this relationship wasn’t OP’s childhood, but his girlfriend’s discomfort and perhaps his mom’s decision to bring out the photo album.
Most Redditors concluded OP wasn’t the a**hole. At worst, it was an awkward family quirk that his ex decided she couldn’t accept. And as commenters pointed out, if something this small ended things, the relationship likely wasn’t meant to last.
