Title: Explain the bonding and attachment processes and how they influence parent-child relationships.
Course: Child Development and Parenting (19255-36) > Section: Ensuring a Healthy Start for Mother and Child

Explanation should include

- the definition of bonding
- the definition of attachment
- the definitions of attachment styles
  - secure (comfortable intimacy)
  - insecure-anxious/ambivalent (fear of abandonment, clingy)
  - insecure-avoidant (distant, values independence)
  - insecure-disorganized (conflicting/erratic behaviors from trauma)
- ways to bond with a newborn
- ways to bond with an older infant or child
- the relationship between bonding and shared parenting
- the effects of delayed or lack of bonding for parent and child
- the importance of relationships with caregivers
- the connection between co-regulation and self-regulation
- the importance of regulation in forming or maintaining relationships.

Process/Skill Questions:

Thinking

- What are the benefits of bonding with an infant? What are the problems created by not bonding with an infant?
- What social or economic factors might restrict the development of family bonds?
- What is the relationship between bonding and physical care of an infant?

Communication

- Why is it as important for fathers to care for infants as it is for mothers?
- What communication strategies may help couples discuss the sharing of parenting roles?
- When might be a good time for a couple to discuss the sharing of parenting roles?

Leadership

- What barriers to sharing parenting roles might exist for couples today?
- What factors can contribute to bonding between an adult and an older child?
- What are the effects on a child who is the victim of inadequate parenting?

Management

- What resources might be available to parents who have conflicting ideas about shared parenting?
- Why do fathers sometimes find it difficult to care for an infant? How can these fathers overcome the difficulty?
- How do hospital practices encourage immediate bonding between parents and newborns?
- How can parents advocate for immediate bonding experiences after birth?