One thing that awed me during my pregnancy was the amount of positive attention people, even perfect strangers, lavish on an obviously pregnant woman. Really, it is the preamble to the wonderful, warm reception most people give to babies and very young children in general. By and large, people tend to smile and exude warmth and unconditional positive regard toward the very young of our species. How many times have you stood in line in a grocery, behind a woman or man with an infant in a carrier, and cooed, smiled, oohed and ahhed at the little bit of helpless flesh in front of you? It seems to be instinctive. And it is so necessary to the infant to have those experiences as universally as possible.

Janie