Posted by daisym on January 5, 2005, at 18:39:55
In reply to Been thinking about attachment..., posted by alexandra_k on January 5, 2005, at 17:44:20
Let me first tell you that my thesis project was about promoting attachment and bonding within a childbirth education setting. So I've read a lot of this stuff...
Typically, if we look closely, even within a setting such as you are talking about, there will emerge a PRIMARY caregiver to an infant. And typically, that someone has a matching temperment. So if an older sibling takes on the roll of childcare, the baby or toddler has a reliable person to meet their needs. It is much more about consistency than an individual person. I think most dvelopmental specialists will tell you that if the environment itself is safe and predictable for the child, most of them grow up healthy. In a family unit, the family could be the entity that the children attach to.
We know in childcare settings that the idea of a primary caregiver works well for children, even if several teachers are available to them during a day. We are back to the idea that interdependency is more ideal than independence.
Also, I suspect that the initial imprinting that occurs during breastfeeding is being underestimated by whomever is counting the kids. Even in culturals with wet nurses, babies bond with their moms and know the difference in milk.
And I agree with everything you said about easy assimiliation and giving up ones own culture. Why should they indeed?!
poster:daisym
thread:438205
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20050105/msgs/438217.html