Every 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 BrazeltonGrandparents 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 BrazeltonReading to children at night, responding to their smiles with a smile, returning their vocalizations with one of your own, touching them, holding them - all of these further a child's brain development and future potential, even in the earliest months.
T. Berry BrazeltonParents don't make mistakes because they don't care, but because they care so deeply.
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