There is however an awareness of this first year as a very special year which establishes the foundations of trust in relationship. Decision making is shared. Both partners feel their needs are considered. Power is in balance and parental teamwork strengthens the couples' relationship. Knowledge of the child through firsthand nurturing experience develops simultaneously for each parent.
Generational boundaries are intact.
The primary task of early family development is one of nurturance. As women become mothers and men become fathers, it is necessary to take time and energy to focus on emotional bonding and caretaking. Too often in our society the anxieties caused by this transition make us vulnerable to solving this anxiety by putting energy into work and accomplishments, instead of the emotional work of bonding. It is a cultural stress which can start many young families off on the wrong track, leading to imbalance and estrangement that culminates by the end of the child's second birthday. Foundational patterns of emotional involvement and noninvolvement have been established and are hard to recalibrate.