Untitled poem from 'One: Sons and Daughters'

Nov 5

Written By Newborn Behavior International

Reflection by Elizabeth Kennedy

Elizabeth Kennedy is a Fellow of the UMass Boston Infant-Parent Mental Health Program. She graduated from UMass Amherst in Early Learning & Child Development and been a child advocate in Austin, Texas for the past 15 years.

Reflection:

This poem by Patti Smith inspires hope that society can value the significance of each baby's well-being. It is the introduction to the book entitled One: Sons and Daughters in which Photographer Edward Mapplethorpe has photographed babies on the occasion of their first birthday. In his beautiful foreword, he describes the privilege of gaining trust and capturing a fundamental aspect of that child's personality.

Looking for signs of vitality -- that light in their eyes that will shine for years to come or expression of emotion so fundamental for a responsive caregiver to acknowledge -- I'm optimistic that we have ever-increasing respect for the concept of emotional health, well-being, and optimal development during the crucial sensitive periods of the earliest years.