The scholar’s story is one of emotional and intellectual growth.
Behind the scenes, your baby is gaining, not just strength and
coordination, but a deep understanding of the way things work.
While babies are learning to sit, for instance, they also learn
to intuitively judge the speed of an approaching object, factor
in its acceleration or deceleration, instinctively calculate the
correct time to collision, and blink at the perfect moment.
Sitting is not just a physical skill. It is a mental chess
match, a physics course, and a rewiring of the reflexes on an
unconscious level. Around the time that babies are sitting up,
they also may begin to get upset when others come too close–even
regular babysitters, grandparents, or one of their parents. At
about the same time, many babies begin to fuss and cry whenever
you leave their sight. Separation anxiety and stranger anxiety
both coincide with a new intellectual skill called object
permanence . Your baby now remembers objects and specific people
who are not presen