Emotional Development of Your Child
Birth is an emotional experience for both mother and baby. While the baby in
the womb was totally dependent upon her mother, she is separated physically
from her at birth. Interaction with her mother lies at the root of emotional
development and is most complete when the baby is fed naturally at the
breast. Feeding a baby artificially can interfere with emotional development by
depriving the baby of immediate natural contact and stimulation. Nursing
allows the baby to reconnect periodically with her mother. The baby naturally
enjoys the stimulation provided by the breast and begins to recognize and
enjoy the sound of her mother's voice and her energy as a whole. As she
begins to focus on more concrete objects, she starts to recognize the details
of her mother's face. Gradually, the baby begins interacting directly with her
surrounding environment, eventually including other people. She soon
recognizes her father, other members of the family, and other close people,
and distinguishes familiar from unfamiliar people.
During the first year, a baby gradually adjusts both to physical separation from
her mother and to her new environment. However, babies use their
connection with their mothers as the base from which to explore their new
surroundings. As they assume an increasingly vertical posture, their capacity
for remembering the past and anticipating the future starts to develop. Soon,
the baby internalizes familiar people and places. Babies often cry when their
mothers leave them alone or when they are placed in an unknown setting
without any familiar people around. Babies also begin to anticipate the future.
For example, a baby learns from experience that her mother or father, or
another familiar person, will return after separation and that her crying will
bring food or comfort from her mother.
The emotional climate of the family produces deep and lasting effects on a
baby's developing character. This is especially true of the mother's thoughts
and emotions. More positive, happy, and peaceful thoughts and emotions
have more positive effects on the baby, while unhappy, disturbed, frightful, or
depressed thoughts produce negative effects. The influence of thoughts and
emotions on a baby's development is especially profound during pregnancy
and the period of nursing. If the mother, father, and other members of the
family are happy, positive, peaceful, and emotionally well-balanced, then the
baby will tend to develop similar characteristics. On the other hand, parents
who are negative, argumentative, or emotionally tense or restless often
convey a similar emotional makeup to their children, especially when the
children are given an unbalanced diet.