b'The ABCsBY DANIELLE BUJNAKO F R E S P E C T F U L C A R EEditor\'s Note: This is part three of the series entitledWinnicotthadalreadyexpressedtheopinionthat,farfromThe ABCs of Respectful Care. Read all installments in thecausing any damage, responding but misinterpreting an infants2020 issues of Nanny Magazine at NannyMag.com cuesactuallyservestomotivatetheinfanttolearntocommunicatemoreeffectively.TheinfantorchildexperiencesTheRespectfulApproachtoHumanDevelopment,Education the responsiveness to their needs, which is the critical need.and Care is a multi-disciplinary and open-ended approach thatcombines elements from classic teaching methods and current Thisresearchisrefreshingandreassuringforparentsandresearch in the neuroscience of human development. The goal is caregivers. When we care for infants and young children, we areto deliver a level of care that meets the genuine needs of all of all guessing at best because we are trying to identify the internalthe individuals involved in the care experience. needs of another person. I would propose that an experiencedG IS FOR "GOOD ENOUGH" nanny or newborn care specialist probably hits the mark correctlymorethan30to50percentofthetime,butnoneofusareD. W. Winnicott was a highly respected and influential researcher inthe world of child development. He proposed that infants do not anywhere near 100 percent. And thats perfectly OK. We are goodneed (or even particularly benefit from) care that perfectly meets enough,andbeingjustgoodenough(andnotperfect)isantheir needs at all times, but rather that good enough parents and important factor in motivating infants and children to follow theircaregivers are the best support for healthy infant and child growth healthy paths of future development.anddevelopment.Decadeslater,EdwardTronickshowedthatgood-enoughmothersmisinterpretedtheirowninfantscues Winnicott is also known for stating that there is no such thing asbetween 50 percent to 70 percent of the time!a baby . . . only a baby and someone because a baby literallycannot survive or exist without someone to care for them. NannyMag.com 17'