On Infant Day Care

Comments on the articles by Thomas J. Gamble & Edward Zigler (see record 2013-42836-003) & T. Berry Brazelton (see record 2013-42836-002). Gamble & Zigler and Brazelton 26-42) are willing to consider fathers as suitable caretakers, at the same time that they hypothesize the unique and exclusionary need of the infant for the mother. However, worse than the distortions evident in discussing infants' needs are the statements about what mothers do, hear, and feel. Brazelton speaks of parents "grieving over Joss" during pregnancy and after if infants are placed in day care "too early." Although clinical impressions are not data, the authors own impressions are quite to the contrary. One of Brazelton's assumptions is that when mothers return to work, it is because of their need rather than the baby's. In stating "when parents are deprived too early of this opportunity to participate in the baby's developing ego structure", Brazelton implies that working mothers are deprived of their infants. The authors are concerned that the positions reflected by Brazelton and Zigler contribute to maternal guilt. Rather than empowering mothers, their position undermines self-esteem and thereby diminishes maternal enjoyment and competence. A dual ambivalence confronts us in reviewing the policy recommendations. The first revolves around the question of women working and the second emerges in providing quality day care. Gamble and Zigler imply that working women pay for the cost of care. No one implies that women pay for elementary school education (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)