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JshWright, congratulations! I am sure you are going to be a great father. That said, you cannot be a mother to your child. Your roles now are approximately equ
by bearmf 14y ago
JshWright, congratulations! I am sure you are going to be a great father.
That said, you cannot be a mother to your child. Your roles now are approximately equal, but they will inevitably change over time. Feeding and changing diapers is enough for now, and that indeed can be split between partners, because baby cannot really tell the difference right now.
For further normal development, babies need to develop a bond with their mother. This gives them a fundamental sense of security. It is one of human baby's primary needs which is also observed in most mammals.
Children later become attached to their fathers. It is a different experience for them, which involves more "rational" thought instead of primary urge to bond with their mothers.
- jules 14y agoDo you have any evidence for this theory? How do gay parents factor into it?
- bearmf 14y agoPlease see my response to previous comment. I am not sure about gay parents, there is probably not enough research data available yet.
- JshWright 14y agoI'd be interested in seeing any research you may have seen that supports your position. Anecdotally, that hasn't been my experience (in those around me, obviously)
- bearmf 14y agoHere is an overview: http://www.thelizlibrary.org/liz/APA-Monitor-attachment.html http://www.thelizlibrary.org/liz/APA-Monitor-attachment.html However, I see that there is nothing in the article specifically about primary caregiver being female. To summarize, it is better to have one primary caregiver who has established a strong attachment with child. Traditionally it has been a female role, and I do believe women are better suited for it.
- gizmo686 14y agoI don't see anything in that article to suggest 1 primary caregiver is best. The sense I got was that children got a benefit from having a strong attachment, but no arguement or experiment to test for weather 1 strong attachment is better than 2, possibly weaker, attachments. Also, I am always suspisous of 2nd hand science reports, especially when they do not provide a direct link to the original paper(s). If anyone does track down some research papers on the subject, please post it here.
- basilico1 14y agoSort of ditto gizmo686; the article cited confounds primary caregiver and mother, and I would be surprised if the authors of the source articles had the kind of data that would disambiguate the two. Which women are better than which other caregivers? The idea that every women/mother is automatically better suited as primary caregiver is a old stereotype that continues to do harm.
- mibbitier 14y ago> For further normal development, babies need to develop a bond with their mother. This gives them a fundamental sense of security. It is one of human baby's primary needs which is also observed in most mammals. All due respect, but you're talking garbage. Please stop with this sexist drivel.