Jalen McCleary
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Activity 3: Mother-Infant Bond and Father-Infant Bond!

Being a parent myself, I believe that the mother-infant bond and the father-infant

bond are both very crucial for the infants development. It was once believed that bonding had to occur at birth but it is now believed that there in no critical time for the bonding between an infant and a parent to occur. As long as the parent-infant bond occurs, the infant will have a better foundation for development later on in their life. I think the most important role for a mother is to provide trust for the infant and the most important role for a father is to prevent the infant from developing behavioral problems.!
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I think the most important role of the mother-infant bond is to provide the infant

with trust, love, and comfort. Erikson’s first stage in psychosocial development is trust versus basic mistrust. Erikson’s first stage begins at infancy and continues until the child is around 18 months old. Children who establish trust develop the virtue of hope.
The virtue of hope allows the child to believe in themselves. If mistrust is stronger than trust, the child will have a bad outlook on the world and the child will not easily be able to form relationships with other people. A mother can help her children develop trust by cuddling them, promptly responding to their cries, singing to them, reading to them, and playing with them. The bond between a mother and her child is a beautiful thing. !
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“A fathers frequent and positive involvement with his child, from infancy on, is

directly related to the child’s well being and physical, cognitive, and social development.” (Papalia 186) If the mother breastfeeds the infant, the father may feel left out on a crucial bonding activity. A father can bond with their child in many other ways.
The father can bond with the infant by cradling them, bottle feeding them, reading to them, bathing them, changing them, and attending to their cries. Studies have shown

Jalen McCleary that infants who have a strong bond with their father are less likely to be trouble makers at school and at home. Infants who have nurturing and involved fathers tend to score higher on IQ tests and