ABSTRACT

Parents often feel good and have the experience of being good in relation to the new baby who has been conceived. This experience of being good to the baby inside the mother often continues until the birth of the baby. The child has the developmental task of moving from the position of thinking only of his own wishes to developing a respectful concern for the rights and needs of others. Parental love, nurturing experiences through play, understanding, and limit setting permit the child to have healthy intimate relationships with others and use his capacities to their fullest. When the child receives enough love and understanding and develops enough love for the parents help to him, he is able to repair his bond to them, which has been broken through his hostility to their limit setting. The child's love for the parents also enables him to respect the parents' authority in setting limits.