Attachment begins and is reinforced when children receive effective sustenance, protection and guidance from the adults who care for them. If a child’s parents and other adult caregivers work consistently to meet the needs of that child, he or she will learn to develop the trust necessary to maintain relationships with others. In turn, this development of trust will allow him or her to build the kind of confidence necessary to ensure positive interactions with people in schools, agencies, businesses and government.

This will also enable him or her to learn self-control and to gain the skills necessary to identify and solve problems. Attachment is what informs a child’s expectations about how he or she is likely to be treated by others, and begins in earnest during the first year of life. Adults who consciously plan and manage the quality of the time they spend with their children help to ensure that these children eventually grow into socially well-adjusted adults themselves.