Principle 9 Build security by teaching trust. Don’t teach distrust by being undependable or often inconsistent.
“Look at this dolly, Cameron,” says her mother as she tries to get 12-month-old Cameron involved in the dress-up area. The two have just arrived, and this is the mother’s first day to leave her daughter. The caregiver approaches, says hello, and then gets down at Cameron’s level. The baby looks at her. Cameron has visited the center several times and recognizes the caregiver, but she’s never stayed without her mother. She smiles happily and holds out a doll to show the caregiver. When the caregiver stands up to talk to the mother, she discovers the mother is gone. She had said earlier that she can’t stand to see her daughter cry, so apparently she just decided to sneak out. Cameron continues holding the doll, but then she looks around and can’t find her mother. She looks puzzled, and then she begins to cry. She ends up wracked in sobs, and the caregiver has a hard time comforting her. The caregiver decides to speak to the mother at the end of the day and tell her about the importance of saying good-bye so that her daughter can predict when she is going to leave. In her experience, children who have no good-bye ritual can’t relax because they never know when people come and go in their lives. She knows that trust is an important issue for Cameron, and she knows it will take time. The first step is to get the mother to say good-bye. Imagine that you are this caregiver.
After reading through the case study, you’ll write an essay that addresses the following questions in separate paragraphs of 4–6 sentences each. No bulleted or number lists should be included in the essay. Remember to include an introduction and conclusion paragraph.
Write responses to the following questions. Each response should be at least 4–6 sentences in length.
1. When Cameron realized her mother was gone, she became somewhat inconsolable. Reflecting on what was learned throughout the course, what attachment behavior(s) is Cameron experiencing and why?
2. How do you feel about Cameron’s mother leaving the classroom while her daughter was distracted? How might this affect Cameron’s development of a sense of trust and what problems may occur in the future?
3. If you were the caregiver in Cameron’s classroom how would you address the situation © 2021 Penn Foster Inc. Infant and Toddler Care (v2) : Lesson 5 : Page 2 with the mother? How could you support attachment and the development of trust between Cameron and her mother and you (the caregiver) and Cameron?
4. Chapter 11 discussed caregivers’ responses to children’s separation anxiety issues. It’s important for caregivers to cope with emotions and to understand how to manage separation anxiety, so they can be most effective in helping the children. How did you learn to deal with separation anxiety issues?
