Democracy Starts with Babies and Responsive, Nested Care

"How does a democratic character structure come about? A mutually responsive parent-child relationship longitudinally through childhood into adolescence predicts greater cooperation, flexible social skills, and empathy (Kochanska, 2002). In effect, practicing reciprocal relations with parents fosters the social skills for negotiation and creative response with others. Multiple, consistently present, responsive caregivers in early life ensures more openness and flexibility overall (Hrdy, 2009)."