Zadok holding his baby close.
A hug can change an entire day. At least for me. When my little Zadok comes running up to me with a hug, I am the happiest mom alive. When Micah gets home from 4 days at Redcliff all I want from him right away, is a big husband hug. I think as humans we need to feel the warmth of human touch. It gives a sense of love, security, and belonging, that can't be experienced through any other means.
After carrying a baby in your womb for 9 months and experiencing that closeness of human touch,(you can't get much closer than a baby inside you, right?) Well, I can't imagine not wanting to continue that closeness once they get out. Feeling the warmth of a brand new baby on your face or chest, or lying next to you in bed, is one of the sweetest memories I possess. The baby smell, the small inhales and exhales of breath, the tiny heartbeat.....it is a closeness that parents cherish. As a brand new little person coming into this world for the first time, I can't imagine wanting to be anywhere else but in the safety and security of my mother or father's arms. It's a loving, mutual exchange that both need to feel. The warmth of human touch.
Everywhere I go I see devices designed to separate babies from parents. Devices invented out of convenience and for a profit, not to bring about closeness and
interaction. One such device is the plastic car seat. Although a handy invention to keep babies safe while driving,or if your baby is sleeping and not to be disturbed, or if it's blizzarding outside and you have to protect their face from the rock hard hail and snow falling down. However, these contraptions have unfortunately become overused and abused.
For many people, carrying a baby in their arms just isn't an option anymore. I've seen babies fed, rocked, lugged around, and left alone, all in the confinement of their car seat. I've seen babies' alert and active, sitting in their car seat for the duration of a church meeting. I've seen babies left at the bottom of a shopping cart with stacks of groceries piled up around them.I've also seen parents limping along with difficulty as they carry this cumbersome load, sometimes for long durations. And all the while babies' little head is bouncing around as he stares blankly at the ceiling above.
At a recent parenting conference Dr. Robert Sears (renown pediatrician) said, "People are raising car seats these days, not babies." The whole room erupted with applause. I was grateful to look around and see other concerned parents like me. He also said the first thing he does when a baby is brought to his office is get it out of that car seat! Simply because it may be the only human interaction baby gets all day.
Babies need to be held, loved, cuddled, just like you and I. They need to see the world around them, which helps them learn and grow intellectually. They need to have human touch and interaction, which helps them grow emotionally.
We live in a busy world, lets not forget our sweet babies in the car seat.
A wonderful article to read about this subject: http://backpack-baby.com/mothering.aspx
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