T. Barry Brazelton author of 25 books and pediatrician, did a
show, “What Every Baby Knows” I watched every single day at noon while
breastfeeding and rocking my babies in front of the TV. Loved the man and his insight into a baby. He seemed to have a sixth sense into the
psyche of a child.
This man has so much impressive formal education (Wiki him) and
experience with a happy smile on his face continually, I loved him. Sometimes
he was the only adult I saw all day for weeks, outside of my husband. Loved his
smile and such a happy demeanor!
He really promoted the importance for a parent to spend the first
year with the baby at home and if you could spend the first 6 years at home
with your child, even better. Dr.
Brazelton supported laws to be passed to give a parent 1 year with pay for
maternity leave, but saw in single parent households this was not possible.
I studied the mind and the effects of the first 6 years in
particular and learned the foundation of that child’s life is formed in these
early days. Because of this and the fact
I loved caring for our children I elected to stay with my children through the
formative years. It is so amazing seeing the world for the first time through a
child’s eyes. It renews the joy of living here in the Garden of Eden.
Researchers of the development of the human mind like Dr.
Brazelton and Dr. Lipton know the importance of developing self-image, thinking
positives, and teaching kindness in the formative years. If nothing else, I hoped
to teach our children to be patient and kind by example.
Now I am surprised to know four new mothers that have a house of
their own, a loving partner in their marriage, great college education with a
skill to work outside the home when the children get older, who have elected to
put their newborn in a daycare. Now my
90+ y o mother said, “I did not know it was an option to leave a baby?” I said, “Why would they? These couples have
everything and more, but the desire to be a parent.” Parenting is a life
altering responsibility, once started there is no “bail out.”
Then there is the extreme where we went hiking on a very steep,
rocky mountain, and saw a couple with a 2 y o in a backpack, the baby was
crying, black flies were biting her, she was hot, sweaty, and the hike took 2
hours up, and 2 hours down, she did not liking being strapped in while Mom and
Dad hiked a dangerous rocky trail. I talked with them and they said, “We hike
every weekend, we have since college and now the baby is here she is going with
us, like it or not. She’ll learn to like hiking in time.”
No one with common sense
would take a toddler there. My husband commented, “Those two are not ready to
be parents.”
This generation of parents will be an interesting study. These young parents have everything and more
but they do not have the affection to put the child’s welfare above selfish
wants.
If they did they would take the child home for at least the first year
before dropping them off in daycare any day of the week or dragging the little thing
up a mountain for hours.
Children teach us more than we teach them but only if you keep
them with you safe. No one loves you like your child.
I guess they are following their parents, if they were professionals
they dropped their kids off so both parents could go to work, if they were a
single parent they had to. Either way it will be interesting to see how the
kids turn out. Oh yes, they will grow up and be alive, kids grow up without
parental input everywhere, every day.
No comments:
Post a Comment