Wendy K. Laidlaw

She just gave birth to life in the form of- Life, our life, isn't she?

She gave birth in the form of us.

And so we came from her in that sense, which psychologically is the mother complex, but in the infant's imagination, she's the source of life, which-

is partly literally true.

So we want her, the connection to her to continue.

And we want it to be close and intimate and loving and admiring.

And so the infant is always looking for that love, that loving glance from mama who's ever mothering or nursing.

And so the way I get it from psychological stuff is there comes a point where the infant is getting a realization of, wait a minute, there's something pretty good in me.

I'm feeling like pretty good today.

And I want to turn and have mother's glowing, admiring eyes go, you cute little kid, you are great.

And at that moment, mom is also a woman.

She's a mother.

She's a wife.

She may have other children.

She may have a job.

And she turns away.

It's not that she's a bad mother.

It's that she turns away at the moment where the infant is going, please admire, recognize, and love me.

And now the little one who is just beginning to realize I am something goes, oh no, I'm going to get obliterated.

Without that loving attention, I'm going to disappear.