Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/the-dual-challenge-meeting-the-needs-of-parents-and-babies/5009256/
Experienced caregivers who work with infants or toddlers often list their relationships with the parents of those babies as both the most difficult and the most rewarding aspect of their work. It is in this relationship that the caregiver can most clearly see the impact of their work on society.While working well with parents is important for all child care providers, when you work with babies, the issue is different from child care for older children. Parents of babies require much more direct, face-to-face communication as well as daily written communication. Babies can't talk, after all. As important, therefore, as being able to work well with babies is the caregiver's ability to relate comfortably with adults. That is not a given in our field, where people may subconsciously choose this work because they are uncomfortable with adults.
What makes it even more complex is the emotional issue. So many parents today are very young and live far away from relatives who could otherwise lend support. Child care people have, in effect, become the extended family for many parents. In that role we are often called upon to give advice and lend support.
What Parents Want
When ...