Respecting Infants, Respecting Caregivers

My younger brother recently had his first baby, and I was so excited to share everything I have learned as an early childhood educator and as a mom with him. As I though about it, however, all this boiled down to two things:
1. Parenting is the hardest best thing you can do.
2. Learn everything you can about Magda Gerber and RIE.
Okay, so that is cheating a little, because the work of Magda Gerber is vast and deep and so so rich. My brother and his wife are quick studies, however, and as they welcomed their new human into the world, they were already deeply connected to the RIE philosophy, and ready to put these princicples into action.

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RIE, Resources for Infant Edcucarers, is based on respect--for the infant and for the interactions of the caregiver with the infant. On their website, they write: 

From Dear Parent by Magda Gerber
THE BASIS OF THE EDUCARING® APPROACH:  RESPECT
Respect is the basis of the Educaring® Approach.
We not only respect babies, we demonstrate our respect every time we interact with them. Respecting a child means treating even the youngest infant as a unique human being, not as an object.
OUR GOAL: AN AUTHENTIC CHILD
An authentic child is one who feels secure, autonomous, competent, and connected.
When we help a child to feel secure, feel appreciated, feel that “somebody is deeply, truly interested in me,” by the way we just look, the way we just listen, we influence that child’s whole personality, the way that child sees life.
TRUST IN THE INFANT’S COMPETENCE
We have basic trust in the infant to be an initiator, to be an explorer eager to learn what he is ready for.
Because of this trust, we provide the infant with only enough help necessary to allow the child to enjoy mastery of her own actions.
SENSITIVE OBSERVATION
Our method, guided by respect for the infant’s competence, is observation. We observe carefully to understand the infant’s communications and his needs.
The more we observe, the more we understand and appreciate the enormous amount and speed of learning that happens during the first two or three years of life. We become more humble, we teach less, and we provide an environment for learning instead.
CAREGIVING TIMES: INVOLVING THE CHILD
During care activities (diapering, feeding, bathing, dressing, etc.), we encourage even the tiniest infant to become an active participant rather than a passive recipient of the activities. Parents create opportunities for interaction, cooperation, intimacy and mutual enjoyment by being wholeheartedly with the infant during the time they spend together anyway.
“Refueled” by such unhurried, pleasurable caring experiences, infants are ready to explore their environment with only minimal intervention by adults.
A SAFE, CHALLENGING, PREDICTABLE ENVIRONMENT
Our role is to create an environment in which the child can best do all the things that the child would do naturally. The more predictable an environment is, the easier it is for babies to learn.
As infants become more mobile, they need safe, appropriate space in which to move. Their natural, inborn desire to move should not be handicapped by the environment.
TIME FOR UNINTERRUPTED PLAY AND FREEDOM TO EXPLORE
We give the infant plenty of time for uninterrupted play. Instead of trying to teach babies new skills, we appreciate and admire what babies are actually doing.
CONSISTENCY
We establish clearly defined limits and communicate our expectations to develop self discipline.
© 1998 by Magda Gerber

These are the principles that I worked to bring to the teachers I worked with in Philadelphia, and they served as my guiding light in raising my own wee one. While parenting may be the hardest best thing, I hope that the RIE principles bring my brother and his partner joy in the caring for their new tiny soul.