<I doubt any psychologist or other expert would disagree with the concept that parents need to be emotionally and physically responsive to their child's needs - yet most of the parenting that has been passed down is so unresponsive it is shocking - especially if you consider that we would never advocate treating an elderly person the cold and unfeeling way we advocate treating a newborn baby or young child. Would we tell an elderly parent that it was too bad if they were hungry, that it was not time to eat? Would we leave an incapacitated parent alone in a room to cry? Refuse to hold them because they had been held enough?> Just read an article in today's paper about the high incidence of elder abuse in the U.S.-most often done to females. It makes one wonder how much connection there might be with the style in which the abusers were parented. I am so glad my grandma made a point of repeating often "Be careful how you treat your babies, because that is how they will treat you when you are old!" Jean ************* K. Jean Cotterman RNC, IBCLC Dayton, Ohio USA *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html