Although the first-born are in a minority, they require our attention for they usually present a more critical experience to the parents, profoundly altering their lives, bringing new sensations and awareness, and creating problems and questions for which they seek more guidance.

These are a very long fifteen months. During no other period of life is the person so transformed both physically and developmentally. These are the months when the foundations are laid, not only for future emotional stability, but also for basic though global character traits and for intellectual development. No part of life experience will be as solidly incorporated in the individual, become so irrevocably a part of a person, as infancy.

Although a smooth passage from fifteen to thirty-six months is not impossible, it is unlikely. The toddler’s developmental situation almost inevitably creates difficulties for both child and parents. The extent and nature of the problems, and just when they arise, vary with the child, the parents’ sensitivities, and the child-rearing practices they utilize.