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Reply To: | St. John's University Cerebral Palsy List |
Date: | Thu, 24 Feb 2000 15:27:34 -0500 |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
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>Some people believe that parents who drop everything in order to comfort a
>crying infant teach a baby that he is in charge and can control his
parents.
>This is also a myth. The fact is that babies are unable to think about how
>their behavior affects their parents.
I wonder if Ms. Abell has children of her own, or is simply a product of
"book lernin".
Where is her empirical evidence that for her statement above? I suppose
since this comes from an Extension Office Booklet there need be no
bibliography, research manifest or supporting documentation.
Anecdotally, I am of the opinion that babies can be manipulative from an
early age. Heck, it's the same conditioned response B.F. Skinner
demonstrated with various and sundry quadrupeds: Baby doesn't have to have
developed higher-order intellect to grasp the connection between crying and
immediate attention. Parents of multiple children (such as myself) often
remember wryly how they jumped at the first-born's every cry. Within a few
days, said child understands, albeit on a primitive level, "If I cry, there
is a response". Net result = no sleep for Mom & Dad for weeks/months on
end.
By the third kid you can pick up on the difference between, "Hey! I really
need help here!" and "Hey! I don't WANNA go to bed now."
Remember..."Spare the rod and spoil the child", so take your kids fishing
every chance you get!
-Kyle
Ellen Abell, Extension Family and Child Development Specialist, Assistant
Professor, Family And Child Development
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