I grew up as a day care baby. Reading about separation anxiety in chapter 7 reminded me of a story my mom told me about my first few months in daycare. At first, nearly every time she dropped me off and left for work I would cry. She then developed a trick. 1) Place a Gerber Graduate cookie in my right hand. 2) Place a Gerber Graduate cookie in my left hand. 3) Leave. I was so distracted by the cookies that I barely even noticed that she left (either that, or I found cookies to be a sufficient substitute for my primary caretaker).
Though the chapter mentions some negative effects of non-responsive and/or non-maternal care, my experiences at center day care seemed to be very positive. I think it helped that my mom was careful about selecting day care centers that would provide me with enough responsive care. I quickly learned that I was not always the center of attention and that I could not always get what I want (whenever the teacher handed out ice pops and kids asked for a certain color, she always responded with, "You get what you get"). I also got practice interacting with my peers and making friends--one friend I still have today. For me, life as a day care baby was pretty good...though I think whether or not a child should be in daycare varies from family to family.
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