And, a couple thoughts…. I have always found that the Biblical representation of God the Father fits well with what psychologists know about child-rearing – consistency, firmness, high expectations, and deep and abiding love no matter what. My thought – the child has to *know* that the parent has that deep abiding love. How can a baby left to cry *know* such a thing? They have no other way to communicate. They must be terrified! At least, that’s how mine looked to me.

I also noticed that several of the posters appeared to say that their children turned out a certain way because of some narrow aspect of their parenting (e.g., feeding schedules). Research is also fairly consistent on the point that there are MANY influences on how a child turns out – including inborn temperamental characteristics, parenting, siblings, peers, etc. It appears (from research and also makes sense) that it’s more about an overall pattern of parenting than about a single specific parenting practice. For example, feeding on demand is *one* way to demonstrate deep abiding love, but there are others. Parents who schedule feedings may do other things that communicate that love; while parents who feed on demand may still end up with kids who don’t feel loved for another reason.