“The psychologist Jerome Kagan has argued that parenting has a threshold function: up until that threshold is crossed, the effects of a child's very early experience even out in the end. But parenting that crosses the threshold—abuse, stress, utter indifference—can sink in deep, especially if the baby remains in that environment. There's a lot to be said for this perspective on parenthood, not least that it offers well-meaning parents some relief from scaremongering. It also accounts for the astounding flexibility of the human infant: he is game for the craziest parenting stuff you can come up with.” DiversityInfancyResiliency Book:Baby Meets World: Suck, Smile, Touch, Toddle Source: Baby Meets World: Suck, Smile, Touch, Toddle
“While everyone was screaming in italics, the babies themselves seem to have done just fine. Despite their inability to do almost anything on their own, infants are far more flexible than they get credit for: within a few obvious parameters—food, shelter, love—they are astonishingly adaptive.” ExpertsBabiesResiliency Book:Baby Meets World: Suck, Smile, Touch, Toddle Source: Baby Meets World: Suck, Smile, Touch, Toddle