Grandparents who want to be truly helpful will do well to keep their mouths shut and their opinions to themselves until these are requested.
T. Berry BrazeltonEvery time you give a parent a sense of success or of empowerment, you're offering it to the baby indirectly. Because every time a parent looks at that baby and says 'Oh, you're so wonderful,' that baby just bursts with feeling good about themselves.
T. Berry BrazeltonParents don't make mistakes because they don't care, but because they care so deeply.
T. Berry BrazeltonAll adults who care about a baby will naturally be in competition for that baby.... Each adult wishes that he or she could do each job a bit more skillfully for the infant or small child than the other.
T. Berry BrazeltonA family's responses to crisis or to a new situation mirror those of a child. That is to say, the way a small child deals with a new challenge (for instance, learning to walk) has certain predictable stages: regression, anxiety, mastery, new energy, growth, and feedback for future achievement. These stages can also be seen in adults coping with new life events, whether positive or negative.
T. Berry Brazelton