Covers of books, redux

[walkitout]

Robert Karen's book on Attachment (0195115015) and Sroufe's book (0521629926) have covers
with airborne babies (Karen's all the way airborne; Sroufe's being lifted high in the air by a mama).

This is bizarre. It's right up there with that evil book I mentioned months ago (0838576656 -- discussed on May 10, 2005. Took a while to find that post. That would be the book about birth that completely erases the mother. And I do mean completely.). Why would, not one, but _two_ books about attachment depict a baby being held up/thrown up into the air? This is _not_ something that one does to a baby most days (I don't think, anyway). Sure, exciting fun, but not primary caregiver exciting fun. More like, energetic non-parent exciting fun.

What the fuck.

Someone please explain this to me.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Isn't it just a way to get an exciting, picturesque shot? I don't see anything especially odd about that. Plus it expresses that the security of knowing that someone will always catch you is what frees you to be most fully yourself, or something like that. (pardon the pop-psych tone)

Some babies are way more into being tossed than others, and some parents are definitely way more into tossing (I hate it myself, but then I have a fear of falling/heights -- which I don't think I had as a child: I don't remember getting tossed, but I did like to be swung about by the arms).

Lots of ballet dances about intimacy have the man holding the woman up in the air, literally at arm's length. I think it's the kind of thing that translates a feeling that *really* comes during much closer touching into a visual "wow" "whee" impression.

Helen Schinske