Article Link: http://stage.exchangepress.com/article/a-manner-of-speaking/5014788/
It was a story told in movement - a shift of the shoulder, an assured step, a backwards look. Miranda's father arrived in the infant room to set her up for the day. He gently placed her carrier in front of the mirror as he moved around the room, labeling bottles, restocking diapers, jotting notes. There was that wondrous combination of pride and awkwardness of the new parent. Just as I was touched by his thoroughness and assurance, I imagined his emotions. Is there anything as tender in all the world as the love between parent and child?I knew this father to be a lucky man, because I was visiting the on-site back-up center where he is able to leave his infant for the first two months of his fatherhood (see story on page 35). He can visit frequently knowing she is nearby, and the caregivers who bond with her during this precious time will create an ongoing relationship with their family that will continue through her early years, even as she moves in and out of this program.
The needs of this father have been carefully considered in building this program. In the Beginnings Workshop in this issue we talk about ...