When we adopted our daughter we had almost no information about her birth parents, her parents’ health histories, personalities, etc. We knew that her birth mother had been adopted, so she herself would not likely have known much about her own birth parents. We knew that our daughter might have learning disabilities later on due to poor prenatal care for her teenage birth mother.
Dr. T. Berry Brazelton ’40 was my guide to early-childhood parenting. Reading his book and watching his program on television helped me know more about how each child is an individual from birth. He helped me to better understand the developmental stages our daughter was progressing through. Especially helpful was understanding that at times she was not regressing but rather was at a touchpoint, heading into the next developmental stage. My daughter and I together had fun while watching Dr. Brazelton on television.
Although we would like to have known more about our daughter’s birth parents, we know that our daughter is a beautiful, loving, compassionate, and wise young woman who is fulfilling her highest potential. Parenting is the most important job we’ll ever have, and the job for which many of us feel the least trained to do well. Thank you to Dr. Brazelton for being my guide and helping hand.