This is information is very similar to the Brainwave trust information which I’ve lost but am trying to find again…its telling us how important our attachment is to our children from birth and how this attachment affects our children’s life….click here to pop over to the site and read the full artical 

“…Windows of Development
Because the different systems in the brain develop at different times, specific parts of a child’s brain must be stimulated within a specific span of time in order to develop normally. If the crucial environmental cues are not present during these periods, the parts of the brain that regulate those functions may not develop appropriately.

The window of opportunity for vision, for example, takes place from birth to about six months. Children who are deprived of visual stimulation during this time will not develop the necessary neural connections, and may end up visually impaired.

For speech and vocabulary development, the critical window is open between birth and 3 years of age. The sounds a child hears in those years will largely determine the size of his/her adult vocabulary. In addition, children who are not spoken to regularly early in life do not learn to think conceptually as well as those who are exposed to a lot of spoken language.

A great deal of emotional development takes place during a child’s first 18 months. Infants need loving care from a consistent caregiver. There is no substitute for a nurturing environment. Without it, a child will not attain emotional stability.

Between the ages of 1 and 4, children develop the capacity to understand logic and mathematical concepts. There is also a great deal of evidence suggesting that experience with music at an early age may enhance a child’s mathematical ability. Children whose math and logic capabilities are not exercised during this stage may have more difficulty learning those skills throughout life….”

Please also see the interview with Megan Gunner on the affects of cortisol to the brain and its development. 

“…If you practice a more ‘natural’ style of parenting, whether through conviction or by way of exploration, you could encounter considerable resistance. At a time of life that should be about community support and shared joy; for many who try to parent differently it is a time of excommunication and ostracism. It can be astounding what a passionately hostile reaction ‘natural’ mothering can evoke in some onlookers. The result appears to be a sub-culture of outcastswho are hiding and alone. There is significant social and professional pressure to conform, to not exceed the limits of nurturance that our community feels comfortable with. This has led many ‘natural’ parents to cloak themselves in secrecy….”

Who feels like this?

I know I do many times…but its getting better as Ara is getting older and the Attachment Parenting methods seem to be bringing everything and more…. an independent, brave, questioning, caring child and a heap more.

If you feel like having a bit of a rattle around in some history check out this web page

Attachment Research

This site looks into many areas that John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth devoted their life too. These people (plus many others) have studied about children and their development…the why’s, the how’s and the who’s.

Looking into their research will give you a good start to understanding some of the reasons why your children act they way they do or the behaviour they exhibit with possible retaliation to their parents actions.