ABSTRACT
A crying baby may have effects on the parents' body self perception and on their entire view of the world and other people. People often say that they feel hurt or angry when their baby is crying. A baby crying may make a parent distressed. Any parent with a crying baby is at risk of being violent to that baby. They should not be judged negatively for this, as both parents and babies become part of a vicious circle. The baby's response is unique. In a baby's cry, there is no future or past, only the present. Responding appropriately requires an absence of anxiety or guilt, of traditional beliefs, or intellectual interpretations. A mother runs no risk of spoiling her baby if she is present in responding whenever the baby needs her. The word "spoiling" is an adult invention. Listening to a baby crying means trying to understand the specific need that has made her cry.
