[...]
The first experiences are predominantly of the body of a busy mother. The movings about are bases for taking up the pace of an active life. The pace becomes a characteristic of the world of living and it is associated always with the cosy rightness of the self, for it is learned in arms.
If a baby is held much of the time by someone who is only sitting quietly, it will not serve him in learning the quality of life and action, though it will keep away negative feelings of abandonment, separateness and much of the worst torment of longing. The fact that babies actively encourage people to treat them to excitement is indication that they expect and require action upon which to develop. A mother sitting still will condition a baby to think of life as dull and slow, and there will be a restlessness in him and frequent promptings from him to encourage more stimulation. He will bounce up and down to show what he wants, or wave his arms to initiate a faster pace in her actions. Similarly, if she insists upon treating him as though he were fragile, she will suggest to him that he is. But if she handles him in a rough and off-hand way, he will thin of himself as strong, adaptable and at home in a vast variety of circumstances. Feeling fragile is not only unpleasant, but it also interferes with the efficiency of the developing child and, later, of the adult.
Primele experiente tin mai ales de contactul cu corpul unei mame ocupate. Miscarile acesteia reprezinta baza preluarii ritmului unei vieti active. Acest ritm devine caracteristica lumii vii si e mereu asociat cu o adecvare placuta a sinelui, deoarece se invata in brate.
Daca un copil e tinut in brate majoritatea timpului de cineva care sta linistit(a), acest lucru nu-l va ajuta sa invete despre calitatea vietii si a actiunii, desi il va proteja de sentimentele negative de abandonare, separare si de chinul groaznic al dorului. Cand copiii incurajeaza oamenii in mod activ sa le provoace stari de exaltare, e un indiciu clar ca asteapta si cer actiuni care sa-i ajute sa se dezvolte. O mama care sta linistita isi va conditiona copilul sa-si inchipuie viata ca fiind plictisitoare si inceata, lucru care-i va provoca acestuia o anume neliniste si il va face sa dea imbolduri pentru a incuraja o mai mare stimulare. Copilul va salta in sus si-n jos pentru a arata ce doreste, sau isi va agita mainile pentru a-i cere un ritm mai rapid in tot ce face. In mod similar, daca ea insista sa-l trateze ca pe o fiinta fragila, ii va sugera ca este astfel. Dar daca se poarta cu el intr-un mod mai abrupt si imprevizibil, el se va simti puternic, adaptabil si natural in circumstante extrem de variate. Sentimentul de a fi fragil nu e doar ceva neplacut, ci si ceva care interfereaza cu dezvoltarea eficienta a copilului si, mai apoi, a adultului.
(Jean Liedloff - The Continuum Concept. Traducere proprie - my own translation)
