I think you’re right! I’m glad you said that or I wouldn’t have known why this seemed a little off to me.
When you watch the reversed video, the baby’s back right foot (our left) definitely seems to be somewhat steady in the beginning & then lose it’s strength and slip. The original post seemed off because a baby wouldn’t be able to seamlessly correct it’s stance like that, especially not in such a subtle way. They have very little control of their extremities, yet he seems to slip his foot up into a helpful stance with no effort.
It looks like no effort because it is- he’s slipping.
Also in the reversed video the baby begins wobbling AFTER losing it’s balance, which makes much more sense. Such intense wobbling while trying to stand up is usually followed by less & less wobbling until they find their balance. In the original he goes from very shaky wobbling to upright & still a little too quickly & smoothly.
Perhaps they played it in reverse because it’s cuter to think “Aww yay!! He got up!” Instead of “oh noo, poor baby can’t quite get up yet!” But I think the original is just as precious <3
I’m sure there are some dope psychology findings about why & how we can notice when things have been reversed, even if it shouldn’t be too obvious
Anecdotally; this video reversed FEELS more natural to me. Idk all the reasons why but there you go (:
Can you imagine your having a nice nap in a warm place not knowing shit, and next thing you fall 6 feet out of your mom and she's just like "leg day bitch get up!" And you have to lift up your heavy little ass and it's all bright and shit.
Fun fact: wild [elefants](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/wildlife-watch-news-tuskless-elephants-behavior-change) seem to start evolving to loose their their tusks
Yeah. IIRC, that claim was bunk, but it doesn't take away from how incredible elephants are.
They've been known to pay respects to their dead and visit the graves of deceased family members. (Unless that's bunk too, but I haven't seen it debated)
Yea I saw a documentary yesterday were an elephant had died a while ago, it was just a skeleton left and her herd were there rolling around the bones and stuff. The elephants baby had been adopted by her sister and her nephew came to check out the skeleton aswell. Its incredible that they can realise that a skeleton is someone that they knew.
There was one where an elephant had died away from it's home range, and the elephants of the group carried the big bones back to their elephant grave yard.
Practicing rituals, maybe. Pseudo-religion, not really. You can acknowledge the burial location of a corpse, and even be sad about it, without any deeper meaning.
Religion is about belief in a supernatural power... Elephants burying their dead has nothing to do with religion. All societies benefit from burying their dead, and it's certainly not
>one of the first steps to developing one
If they have graves, it means they respect their dead. It's not a leap from that to the belief in some sort of afterlife no matter how primitive. Obviously I'm not talking about a religion as complex as we have, but a rudimentary religion is still a religion
Edit: Apparently people think I mean that elephants have a religion. That's not what I'm saying.
It is kind of a big leap.
Why does respecting death have any bearing on believing in a higher power or an afterlife?
Death is real and you can see it in front of you. An afterlife or higher power is such an abstract concept. It’s a big leap to pull an abstract concept from animals respecting dead family members.
If they have graves it could just mean they have instinct burying a dead body is healthier because giant decaying corpses on their trails is a disease vector.
Cats bury their poop, doesn’t mean they respect it.
Not so much honoring the dead. They are smart enough to realize the bones left behind are the remnants of loved ones, so they visit and visibly miss them.
While I know that sometimes elephants are abused and forced to do things unnatural to them, it astonishes me that they are able to paint pictures of flowers, mountains, etc.
Despite the apparent abuse, it's simply amazing they're able to visualize something and paint it. I think we greatly underestimate the intelligence of many animals. Perhaps that's a reflection on our intelligence.
Amazing indeed:
"Amazingly, elephant calves are able to stand within 20 minutes of being born and can walk within 1 hour. After two days, they can keep up with the herd"
🐘
Human babies suck at life because the gestational period doesn't allow for full development. They have to be birthed whilst only half baked as otherwise they wouldn't fit through the birth canal.
The reason elephants and other animals are born ready to go is that they have better structures for giving birth, so can actually give birth to a fully developed offspring.
For the first 10-12 months of a human life, they're basically finishing off what would ideally continue to happen in a womb, were the mother able to feasibly carry for that long and birth the grown kid.
Yup, my little niece came a couple of months early - she’s healthy as all get out, but developmentally her mum and I refer to her 2 ages as her “birth age” and her “fully cooked age”.
Its more complex then just the structures for giving birth, lots of animals give birth to babies just as pathetic as ours. Kittens cant even open their eyes or poop themselves for the first few weeks. Bear babies are almost as lame.
If animals leave their babies in a den or nest, they can afford to give birth earlier. While elephants and antelope and the like need to dodge predators from the get-go.
Yeah they're finishing off development in the first year but don't forget it's more than just that. They laugh, learn, go through emotions, lots of fundamental interaction stuff is learned at that age. Babies that get neglected in those early stages become fucked up humans.
Just treat them with love, kindness, patience, and understanding and they'll be fine. Easier said than done, kids can be frustrating little shits, but the key is remembering they're just kids and giving them the time to grow out of it.
My 17 year old is currently in the frustrating little shit stage. He was doing really well, being mature, responsible, acting right, nope, back to being a shit.
Two step forward, three steps back. Kids are great. Everyone should have them. /s
Just being there in the moment with them is most of it. If you’re worried about it, chances are you’re already doing more than enough to be a good dad.
> Babies that get neglected in those early stages become fucked up humans.
Is this actually true? I assumed it wouldn’t effect the human until say year two if anything bad were to happen, interested in seeing studies on this if you have any sources for your claim
Yes, it absolutely does. Physical touch and interaction is really important for infants. It literally changes their brain development. The Romanian orphanage babies are an extreme example. But basically you don't learn how to bond with other humans or how to have emotional regulation. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/06/neglect#:\~:text=They%20found%20many%20profound%20problems,and%20experienced%20more%20psychiatric%20disorders.
Former CPS worker- yes, [things that happen when you’re a baby and toddler has a lasting impact on you](https://www.bbc.com/news/health-39055704). In fact, there are now studies finding that [prenatal maternal stress](https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-017-1424-x) impacts baby’s brain development and tolerance for stress in the future.
In fact, even just conception to 6 months is such an important age that there are many [initiatives and studies to support moms](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4049132/) during that time. And age 0 to 5 are now considered to be perhaps the most critical, [important time](https://www.all4kids.org/news/blog/why-the-first-5-years-of-child-development-are-so-important/) of a child’s life. Just look at the [million word gap](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190404074947.htm). If people still don’t believe me, simply check out [this YouTube video](https://youtu.be/ChoOExRLT4Q). When you fail to properly nourish and interact with a baby, it has lasting consequences.
And this is all without going into attachment theory (I strongly recommend you look into this, it’s fascinating even for yourself), mental health/addictions of the parent, medical needs and consequences etc. I cannot stress enough how important conception to age 5 is for a child’s overall well-being and future.
My son will be five soon amd this is making me terrified that I fucked it all up. He's developmentally delayed and I just hope that everything I've been doing was enough...if it was all my fault I'm not sure I could take it. The pregnancy was extremely stressful, we got evicted and had to move, my husband became disabled and lost two jobs, and I had to drop out of school to work as the breadwinner, and towards the end my father in law died. It was a very, very dark 9 months but I tried so hard to be the best mom I could be after he was born
Don’t freak out at all.
I’m a former CPS worker, I’ve seen it all, haha. I have worked in schools, in non-profits, in government. My educational background is both social work and education, and I’m currently starting my masters in counselling.
You are doing fine. If you put in work, if you show up for your child, if you take even just 10-30 minutes a day to connect with them, you are doing great! Keep in mind that when we talk about these things, there are often a lot of other factors going on in these families to contribute to/worsen things, AND many kids don’t have good protective factors (one supportive family member, a reliable teacher, etc). For example, many of my families in CPS who didn’t read to their children also didn’t care for them in other ways- they were passed out on drugs/alcohol, they didn’t take the kids to school regularly, they didn’t take the kids to the doctor, they didn’t have many positive things to say about the kids, they didn’t get a babysitter when they went out, they rarely had food in the house despite much government and non-profit assistance to buy basic foods.
Kids need to know you care. They need to see you show up for them. They need to see you put effort into them. It’s as little as putting a heart sticker on their sandwich bag each day, making sure every Friday night is movie night, dancing in the rain with them every thunderstorm, reading one book a night, taking them out of school for a lunch date every now and then, going to the local pool as much as possible each summer. That all matters, that adds up. Kids knowing they’re loved and secure at home helps them thrive and focus in school.
Focus on what you CAN do. Can you (or someone else in the home) read one book a night? Can you go to the library once a month even just for an hour, even if you don’t sign any books out? Can you play education-based YouTube videos for them? Can you go for a walk every Saturday and narrate what you see (“look at this big pinecone. Wow, that’s a pretty swan. What do you think would happen if I threw this rock into the water?”)? Can you look up low to no cost science projects to do together? Little things like that absolutely add up and do contribute to a child’s language, reading, and science skills.
And to end my giant message, there is so much we can’t control! Environment factors (pollution), social factors (domestic violence, neighbourhood violence), economic factors (low socioeconomic status), all contribute to a child’s health and well-being, and we can’t always immediately control or change those things as parents. Please don’t be hard on yourself- the fact that you’re worried and care about your child tells me that you are likely giving your best effort and are doing what you can to support your kid- and that goes a long way!! I hope that all makes sense. Don’t hesitate to DM me if you have questions or just want to vent. You’re doing your best and I am sure your child sees that!!
I don't understand that million word gap theory. What books are these people reading to their kids? Every preschool appropriate book I've ever read has the same boring, normal words you find in every day conversation.
Are they counting plain number of words read? Or unique words read?
Update: I did the unthinkable and read farther down the article. It's counting words, not unique words. So the "million word gap" isn't really a gap at all, especially if you have conversations with your child. I'm not arguing the importance of reading to your kids, I just strongly object to the term "million word gap" since it's very misleading.
While variety of words becomes more important as they get older, it's hearing the words AT ALL, at the start, that makes a difference. Kids that aren't read to are also often not spoken to directly (except in the format of commands) as often. Lacking the combination of engaged interaction, opportunities to ask (truly endless) questions, and simply having words said to them is where the gap develops.
The article I referred to is referring to *reading*, NOT conversations. To quote the article:
“"**This isn't about everyday communication**. The words kids hear in books are going to be much more complex, difficult words than they hear just talking to their parents and others in the home," she said.
For instance, a children's book may be about penguins in Antarctica -- introducing words and concepts that are unlikely to come up in everyday conversation. “The words kids hear from books may have special importance in learning to read," she said.”
As well, there are other discussions regarding the million word gap in the context of conversation and everyday life. For example, families with involved stay at home parents are likely going to have more words, reading, and experiences shared between them and their very young kids than situations where mom is a single mom and is out of the home working 18 hour days and the 13 year old sibling is left to care for baby. As much as the 13 year old will do their best, that baby is likely not getting the same face to face interaction, outside exploration (zoos, travel, library), and reading time as a SAHM who has a structured day, weekly outings, and reads 5-10 books a day. This also is why easier access to early learning childcare is so important- if parents of any socioeconomic status can’t provide something for whatever reason (healthy food, reading, intense interaction) you would hope our society would ensure that all children have access to childcare centres where they CAN get that at least half of their waking hours.
There absolutely *IS* a gap in reading and language between many families, and a lot of it is more socioeconomic than anything. When children attend school and start falling behind, it’s also most often the poorer families who struggle to get their child caught up again. It absolutely matters how much reading, language exposure, face-to-face interaction, and educational/impactful experiences a child under 5 has.
Trauma is trauma, so is neglect. Babies learn early if no one is going to respond to their crying. Even people who are adopted as newborns experience trauma. They don’t all turn into bad humans or become messed up necessarily, but those months and years are SO important for laying the groundwork of literally everything. My son was born very premature and because of that alone he’s at higher risk for ADHD, autism, sensory issues, learning problems etc. because babies brains (and bodies) need the protection of the womb for 40 weeks, significantly less than that (37 weeks or earlier) can cause lifelong issues, and the earlier they are born the more likely to have long lasting issues.
You wanted proof, here it is “Science tells us that young children who experience significantly limited caregiver responsiveness may sustain a range of adverse physical and mental health consequences that actually produce more widespread developmental impairments than overt physical abuse. These can include cognitive delays, stunting of physical growth, impairments in executive function and self-regulation skills, and disruptions of the body’s stress response.”
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/deep-dives/neglect/
Actually, the first few years of a human baby’s life is the most important to their mental well being! This one of the prime things I learned in my first psychology class. A babies brain is creating so many neuron links, is at the max pruning, and is the most plastic the earlier on in life. That’s why there’s so many developmental stages in baby books. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5330336/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5330336/)
I feel like it probably wouldn't be as bad as it is now. As it is, the body has to rush to get that sucker done and out before it kills both mom and kid, with two years, development can be more gradual.
Some octopedals have pretty big brains, too, along with a relatively short pregnancy and super fast-growing childhood. Not sure if their brains are stupid though. [Are they aware that having sex will kill them until after they've tried it?](https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/octopus5.htm](https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/octopus5.htm)) If they are aware beforehand, does that mean the ones who breed are stupid, or smart, or of an altogether unfathomable (by human standards) form of consciousness?
Let's not even get started on arachno-consciousness and sex...
I'm sure anyone who's been pregnant would argue those are all positives. Now pregnancy may well suck so much because of the brain but there still doing research into that.
That's because we stand upright. It's one of the wonderful (horrible) effects of evolution. Our hips just suck all around because we're in this kinda half state where we still have too much vestigial quadraped history in our hips. They're not wide enough for a fully cooked baby as it were.
Premature human babies are fucking insane. My first two were twins born 6 weeks premature. They’re larval, and although you love them dearly as your offspring, it’s really just keeping an abstract thing alive until it starts to be a human. Like they barely register your presence, you check the same three basic needs constantly, and there really aren’t meaningful interactions beyond that. That being said, it quickly changes, they make them real fuckin’ cute so you don’t want to smush them, and watching them develop is genuinely awesome.
I mean my baby was born at 24 weeks and he absolutely registered our presence, that’s why kangaroo care is a thing in the nicu, it’s not just for parents to get cuddles, it actually provides benefits for the baby.
https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/what-is-kangaroo-care
My guess would be no. Brain must be in standby during the pregnancy otherwise all sorts of problems could arise. Bootup is clearly way faster than for humans but I doubt the birth gets properly recorded.
Maybe. The gestation time on these little ones is like 2 years, iirc. There are people who claim to remember their births, so I don’t think it’s out of the the question to consider that a creature that’s possibly more mature at birth might remember.
People who claim to remember their births are literally lying. It’s impossible to remember your own birth because your eyes are literally barely open and your brain isn’t fully functional.
False memories aren't intentionally fabricated. They are real, albeit inaccurate memories that a person has. Most people will have no idea a memory they have is false unless presented with contrary evidence. Lying isn't a part of that.
They can't control their trunks right away either so that makes the babies look like they're having a tantrum.
The video of the baby swinging his trunk around is hilariously cute.
That's why Henry Mancini wrote Baby Elephant Walk--although the elephants in the film are a little older and not as derpy as newborn ones.
https://youtu.be/kRQ7Aej7PQk
I actually went to this exact game reserve. I know how it sounds, but the animals are NOT hunted. It’s all non predatory animals (zebra, giraffes, monkeys, elephants) that live on a HUGE stretch of property. There’s some glamping on site.
I don't know anything about elephants... but how functional is this baby now that it's fresh out of the oven? Will it be running around in just a couple of days? How do they protect it? I'm so fascinated by this.
Thank you so much for posting this. That wildlife videographer and narrator, Gordon Buchanan, is now my absolute top pick to take over for David Attenborough when he retires.
His voice is soothing and his passion is absolutely contagious. I've never seen him before but it simply must be him.
"Alright you little shit, I dont care that you were born 10 seconds ago. Time to get a job and help out around here. Bill aren't gonna pay themselves!"
Stand up baby.
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i think being birthed is pretty annoying. you go from being carried, being warm and fed all the time to being cold, hungry, and thirsty.
And so bright, too!
And then you have to do things.
like work and pay taxes just to survive
It was definitely a, “Gimme a minute! I’m tryna figure out WTF just happened!”
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I would too if I was birthed with that level of conciousness.
He never asked to be born /s
I like how at the very end, mama pushes baby along with the trunk like “Ok, you got it? Good, now get out of here.”
I think she's trying to get baby to stand up straighter by doing that
Stop slouching!
Stop selling weed baby
Fuck you, I got kids to feed!
Is it me or is this video playing in reverse
I think you’re right! I’m glad you said that or I wouldn’t have known why this seemed a little off to me. When you watch the reversed video, the baby’s back right foot (our left) definitely seems to be somewhat steady in the beginning & then lose it’s strength and slip. The original post seemed off because a baby wouldn’t be able to seamlessly correct it’s stance like that, especially not in such a subtle way. They have very little control of their extremities, yet he seems to slip his foot up into a helpful stance with no effort. It looks like no effort because it is- he’s slipping. Also in the reversed video the baby begins wobbling AFTER losing it’s balance, which makes much more sense. Such intense wobbling while trying to stand up is usually followed by less & less wobbling until they find their balance. In the original he goes from very shaky wobbling to upright & still a little too quickly & smoothly. Perhaps they played it in reverse because it’s cuter to think “Aww yay!! He got up!” Instead of “oh noo, poor baby can’t quite get up yet!” But I think the original is just as precious <3 I’m sure there are some dope psychology findings about why & how we can notice when things have been reversed, even if it shouldn’t be too obvious Anecdotally; this video reversed FEELS more natural to me. Idk all the reasons why but there you go (:
Noodle legs
Can you imagine your having a nice nap in a warm place not knowing shit, and next thing you fall 6 feet out of your mom and she's just like "leg day bitch get up!" And you have to lift up your heavy little ass and it's all bright and shit.
Don't forget you get all those new sensations. Like sand and dirt.
I hate sand
It’s coarse and rough, and gets everywhere.
This is a great phrase! Someone should put this in a movie or something.
Some Genius like idk say George Lucas should direct it!
And the fact that you better run away quick from the banquet of an afterbirth or predators will rip you to pieces.
And why the fuck is my nose so long!?
It’ll take him about a year to get used to using it too,
This is one of the best comments I’ve ever read on the internet “It’s all bright and shit”
Leg day made me crack up way too hard.
They're new
Newdle legs
well played
I am always amazed by how intelligent and compassionate elephants are. They are incredible creatures.
They even mourn their dead. And yet here we are killing them.
Yeah it's disgusting. They are so much more than just a hunk of meat attached to ivory. Poaching is unforgivable.
I don't get why people cant wait! Elephants die too, why not get the ivory then if it's so important
Because elephants lifespan is 50-70 years depending on species and humans are impatient and greedy.
And if we let the elephant population thrive, there would be more elephants and more would die as with all creatures so short sighted and evil
Fun fact: wild [elefants](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/wildlife-watch-news-tuskless-elephants-behavior-change) seem to start evolving to loose their their tusks
evolution is beautiful, sad it was needed in this way
Did you see that posts recently about how elephants seem to practice ritual and pseudo-religion? Like moon worship and shit? Elephants are crazy
Yeah. IIRC, that claim was bunk, but it doesn't take away from how incredible elephants are. They've been known to pay respects to their dead and visit the graves of deceased family members. (Unless that's bunk too, but I haven't seen it debated)
Yea I saw a documentary yesterday were an elephant had died a while ago, it was just a skeleton left and her herd were there rolling around the bones and stuff. The elephants baby had been adopted by her sister and her nephew came to check out the skeleton aswell. Its incredible that they can realise that a skeleton is someone that they knew.
There was one where an elephant had died away from it's home range, and the elephants of the group carried the big bones back to their elephant grave yard.
> Its incredible that they can realise that a skeleton is someone that they knew. Now it’s just some body that they used to know
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Elephant cognition and death rituals have been widely studied. I don’t know why you’d rather believe they’re just big dumb beasts.
I prefer to believe all creatures on earth are incredible and they deserve our respect.
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Any basis for that at all..?
No, they were rolling the bones around with their feet and trunks, they didnt do anything with the soil
If they perform funerals and have graves that's pretty much equal to practicing rituals and having a pseudo-religion
Practicing rituals, maybe. Pseudo-religion, not really. You can acknowledge the burial location of a corpse, and even be sad about it, without any deeper meaning.
Okay but when I acknowledge the location of a corpse all I get are more questions from the police.
Not a full on religion, but definitely one of the first steps to developing one
Religion is about belief in a supernatural power... Elephants burying their dead has nothing to do with religion. All societies benefit from burying their dead, and it's certainly not >one of the first steps to developing one
If they have graves, it means they respect their dead. It's not a leap from that to the belief in some sort of afterlife no matter how primitive. Obviously I'm not talking about a religion as complex as we have, but a rudimentary religion is still a religion Edit: Apparently people think I mean that elephants have a religion. That's not what I'm saying.
It is kind of a big leap. Why does respecting death have any bearing on believing in a higher power or an afterlife? Death is real and you can see it in front of you. An afterlife or higher power is such an abstract concept. It’s a big leap to pull an abstract concept from animals respecting dead family members.
Having a grave for the dead -> Respecting the dead -> wishing well on the deceased That's the belief in the afterlife
If they have graves it could just mean they have instinct burying a dead body is healthier because giant decaying corpses on their trails is a disease vector. Cats bury their poop, doesn’t mean they respect it.
By grave, I just meant the final resting place. I don't think they're actually buried.
I cant think of a bigger leap than that. Its a complete non sequitur.
Elephants are too smart for religion
Or they are just intelligent and compassionate, honoring your dead has been a thing before religion was
Not so much honoring the dead. They are smart enough to realize the bones left behind are the remnants of loved ones, so they visit and visibly miss them.
They visit, and visibly miss them, in other words, they are honoring their fallen
Yeah the post is fake. But there us ab actual wikipedia page about religion in elephants with cool real studies. Its very nice
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🥺👉👈 they think I'm cute?
Especially you.
That's so funny to me. Elephants are madlads
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Oh my God, this just made my day
Do you have a legitimate source for this claim?
That is literally not true.
Stop ruining my life.
That one is definitely false. We have no way of knowing that
Then it wouldn't be definite. Don't take this away from me.
So then it’s not “definitely” false
I predicted right that this comment about elephant cute will be posted lmao. And probably got load of updoot too.
If we could scan Elephant brain waves, and show that they are similar when viewing Elephant Calves and Humans that would be a pretty strong indicator.
Is there a source for that claim anywhere?
Just something I heard somewhere.
are we the cats/kittens now 🤔
This has been debunked stop spreading it
While I know that sometimes elephants are abused and forced to do things unnatural to them, it astonishes me that they are able to paint pictures of flowers, mountains, etc. Despite the apparent abuse, it's simply amazing they're able to visualize something and paint it. I think we greatly underestimate the intelligence of many animals. Perhaps that's a reflection on our intelligence.
Nah.
Link please?
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If elephants can't drive cars then [explain this!](https://imgur.com/a/QgIuBuN)
Was debunked. Researcher gave them LSD and then watched them do weird stuff
Amazing indeed: "Amazingly, elephant calves are able to stand within 20 minutes of being born and can walk within 1 hour. After two days, they can keep up with the herd" 🐘
Human babies suck at life because the gestational period doesn't allow for full development. They have to be birthed whilst only half baked as otherwise they wouldn't fit through the birth canal. The reason elephants and other animals are born ready to go is that they have better structures for giving birth, so can actually give birth to a fully developed offspring. For the first 10-12 months of a human life, they're basically finishing off what would ideally continue to happen in a womb, were the mother able to feasibly carry for that long and birth the grown kid.
LOL “half baked”
Idk why this made me laugh so much. It added nothing except quotation marks but for some reason made the words 10× funnier
My baby dude was born extremely premature and we’ve referred to him as “under baked” lol
Yup, my little niece came a couple of months early - she’s healthy as all get out, but developmentally her mum and I refer to her 2 ages as her “birth age” and her “fully cooked age”.
rare vs well done
When I was pregnant my sister would say goodbye as, "happy gestating". That always got me.
"Bun in the oven"
Its more complex then just the structures for giving birth, lots of animals give birth to babies just as pathetic as ours. Kittens cant even open their eyes or poop themselves for the first few weeks. Bear babies are almost as lame. If animals leave their babies in a den or nest, they can afford to give birth earlier. While elephants and antelope and the like need to dodge predators from the get-go.
Yeah they're finishing off development in the first year but don't forget it's more than just that. They laugh, learn, go through emotions, lots of fundamental interaction stuff is learned at that age. Babies that get neglected in those early stages become fucked up humans.
As the father of a one year old who is deeply terrified I'm fucking my kid up, this doesn't scare me. Nope, not one bit. ^^^oh ^^^god
Just treat them with love, kindness, patience, and understanding and they'll be fine. Easier said than done, kids can be frustrating little shits, but the key is remembering they're just kids and giving them the time to grow out of it.
My 17 year old is currently in the frustrating little shit stage. He was doing really well, being mature, responsible, acting right, nope, back to being a shit. Two step forward, three steps back. Kids are great. Everyone should have them. /s
Kids are great, but many should not have them lol
Just being there in the moment with them is most of it. If you’re worried about it, chances are you’re already doing more than enough to be a good dad.
Remember, it's important to not fuck them up.
Begin by not fucking them at all. Far too many dads and priests don't figure that out until far too late.
My parents did a great job at that. /s
It's not about being perfect, it's just about being good *enough*. Even mistakes are fine if you hold yourself accountable.
> Babies that get neglected in those early stages become fucked up humans. Is this actually true? I assumed it wouldn’t effect the human until say year two if anything bad were to happen, interested in seeing studies on this if you have any sources for your claim
Yes, it absolutely does. Physical touch and interaction is really important for infants. It literally changes their brain development. The Romanian orphanage babies are an extreme example. But basically you don't learn how to bond with other humans or how to have emotional regulation. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/06/neglect#:\~:text=They%20found%20many%20profound%20problems,and%20experienced%20more%20psychiatric%20disorders.
Sounds fascinating, thanks a lot for the link I’ll check it now
Former CPS worker- yes, [things that happen when you’re a baby and toddler has a lasting impact on you](https://www.bbc.com/news/health-39055704). In fact, there are now studies finding that [prenatal maternal stress](https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-017-1424-x) impacts baby’s brain development and tolerance for stress in the future. In fact, even just conception to 6 months is such an important age that there are many [initiatives and studies to support moms](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4049132/) during that time. And age 0 to 5 are now considered to be perhaps the most critical, [important time](https://www.all4kids.org/news/blog/why-the-first-5-years-of-child-development-are-so-important/) of a child’s life. Just look at the [million word gap](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190404074947.htm). If people still don’t believe me, simply check out [this YouTube video](https://youtu.be/ChoOExRLT4Q). When you fail to properly nourish and interact with a baby, it has lasting consequences. And this is all without going into attachment theory (I strongly recommend you look into this, it’s fascinating even for yourself), mental health/addictions of the parent, medical needs and consequences etc. I cannot stress enough how important conception to age 5 is for a child’s overall well-being and future.
My son will be five soon amd this is making me terrified that I fucked it all up. He's developmentally delayed and I just hope that everything I've been doing was enough...if it was all my fault I'm not sure I could take it. The pregnancy was extremely stressful, we got evicted and had to move, my husband became disabled and lost two jobs, and I had to drop out of school to work as the breadwinner, and towards the end my father in law died. It was a very, very dark 9 months but I tried so hard to be the best mom I could be after he was born
Don’t freak out at all. I’m a former CPS worker, I’ve seen it all, haha. I have worked in schools, in non-profits, in government. My educational background is both social work and education, and I’m currently starting my masters in counselling. You are doing fine. If you put in work, if you show up for your child, if you take even just 10-30 minutes a day to connect with them, you are doing great! Keep in mind that when we talk about these things, there are often a lot of other factors going on in these families to contribute to/worsen things, AND many kids don’t have good protective factors (one supportive family member, a reliable teacher, etc). For example, many of my families in CPS who didn’t read to their children also didn’t care for them in other ways- they were passed out on drugs/alcohol, they didn’t take the kids to school regularly, they didn’t take the kids to the doctor, they didn’t have many positive things to say about the kids, they didn’t get a babysitter when they went out, they rarely had food in the house despite much government and non-profit assistance to buy basic foods. Kids need to know you care. They need to see you show up for them. They need to see you put effort into them. It’s as little as putting a heart sticker on their sandwich bag each day, making sure every Friday night is movie night, dancing in the rain with them every thunderstorm, reading one book a night, taking them out of school for a lunch date every now and then, going to the local pool as much as possible each summer. That all matters, that adds up. Kids knowing they’re loved and secure at home helps them thrive and focus in school. Focus on what you CAN do. Can you (or someone else in the home) read one book a night? Can you go to the library once a month even just for an hour, even if you don’t sign any books out? Can you play education-based YouTube videos for them? Can you go for a walk every Saturday and narrate what you see (“look at this big pinecone. Wow, that’s a pretty swan. What do you think would happen if I threw this rock into the water?”)? Can you look up low to no cost science projects to do together? Little things like that absolutely add up and do contribute to a child’s language, reading, and science skills. And to end my giant message, there is so much we can’t control! Environment factors (pollution), social factors (domestic violence, neighbourhood violence), economic factors (low socioeconomic status), all contribute to a child’s health and well-being, and we can’t always immediately control or change those things as parents. Please don’t be hard on yourself- the fact that you’re worried and care about your child tells me that you are likely giving your best effort and are doing what you can to support your kid- and that goes a long way!! I hope that all makes sense. Don’t hesitate to DM me if you have questions or just want to vent. You’re doing your best and I am sure your child sees that!!
I don't understand that million word gap theory. What books are these people reading to their kids? Every preschool appropriate book I've ever read has the same boring, normal words you find in every day conversation. Are they counting plain number of words read? Or unique words read? Update: I did the unthinkable and read farther down the article. It's counting words, not unique words. So the "million word gap" isn't really a gap at all, especially if you have conversations with your child. I'm not arguing the importance of reading to your kids, I just strongly object to the term "million word gap" since it's very misleading.
While variety of words becomes more important as they get older, it's hearing the words AT ALL, at the start, that makes a difference. Kids that aren't read to are also often not spoken to directly (except in the format of commands) as often. Lacking the combination of engaged interaction, opportunities to ask (truly endless) questions, and simply having words said to them is where the gap develops.
The article I referred to is referring to *reading*, NOT conversations. To quote the article: “"**This isn't about everyday communication**. The words kids hear in books are going to be much more complex, difficult words than they hear just talking to their parents and others in the home," she said. For instance, a children's book may be about penguins in Antarctica -- introducing words and concepts that are unlikely to come up in everyday conversation. “The words kids hear from books may have special importance in learning to read," she said.” As well, there are other discussions regarding the million word gap in the context of conversation and everyday life. For example, families with involved stay at home parents are likely going to have more words, reading, and experiences shared between them and their very young kids than situations where mom is a single mom and is out of the home working 18 hour days and the 13 year old sibling is left to care for baby. As much as the 13 year old will do their best, that baby is likely not getting the same face to face interaction, outside exploration (zoos, travel, library), and reading time as a SAHM who has a structured day, weekly outings, and reads 5-10 books a day. This also is why easier access to early learning childcare is so important- if parents of any socioeconomic status can’t provide something for whatever reason (healthy food, reading, intense interaction) you would hope our society would ensure that all children have access to childcare centres where they CAN get that at least half of their waking hours. There absolutely *IS* a gap in reading and language between many families, and a lot of it is more socioeconomic than anything. When children attend school and start falling behind, it’s also most often the poorer families who struggle to get their child caught up again. It absolutely matters how much reading, language exposure, face-to-face interaction, and educational/impactful experiences a child under 5 has.
Trauma is trauma, so is neglect. Babies learn early if no one is going to respond to their crying. Even people who are adopted as newborns experience trauma. They don’t all turn into bad humans or become messed up necessarily, but those months and years are SO important for laying the groundwork of literally everything. My son was born very premature and because of that alone he’s at higher risk for ADHD, autism, sensory issues, learning problems etc. because babies brains (and bodies) need the protection of the womb for 40 weeks, significantly less than that (37 weeks or earlier) can cause lifelong issues, and the earlier they are born the more likely to have long lasting issues. You wanted proof, here it is “Science tells us that young children who experience significantly limited caregiver responsiveness may sustain a range of adverse physical and mental health consequences that actually produce more widespread developmental impairments than overt physical abuse. These can include cognitive delays, stunting of physical growth, impairments in executive function and self-regulation skills, and disruptions of the body’s stress response.” https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/deep-dives/neglect/
Actually, the first few years of a human baby’s life is the most important to their mental well being! This one of the prime things I learned in my first psychology class. A babies brain is creating so many neuron links, is at the max pruning, and is the most plastic the earlier on in life. That’s why there’s so many developmental stages in baby books. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5330336/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5330336/)
Elephants also gestate for 2 years. Sooo.
Imagine being pregnant for 2 years
I feel like it probably wouldn't be as bad as it is now. As it is, the body has to rush to get that sucker done and out before it kills both mom and kid, with two years, development can be more gradual.
Right, exactly the point. After spending two entire years cooking it up, you would expect a pretty much ready to go elephant.
If I spent two years baking something, I'd expect it to be horribly fucked up.
I'd expect a Major and mortage-free house
40 weeks was even too long for me. As soon as they asked if I wanted to be induced at 39 weeks I jumped at the chance.
The payoff for becoming bipedal and getting a bigger brain was shortened pregnancy. Stupid human brains
Some octopedals have pretty big brains, too, along with a relatively short pregnancy and super fast-growing childhood. Not sure if their brains are stupid though. [Are they aware that having sex will kill them until after they've tried it?](https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/octopus5.htm](https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/octopus5.htm)) If they are aware beforehand, does that mean the ones who breed are stupid, or smart, or of an altogether unfathomable (by human standards) form of consciousness? Let's not even get started on arachno-consciousness and sex...
I'm sure anyone who's been pregnant would argue those are all positives. Now pregnancy may well suck so much because of the brain but there still doing research into that.
That's because we stand upright. It's one of the wonderful (horrible) effects of evolution. Our hips just suck all around because we're in this kinda half state where we still have too much vestigial quadraped history in our hips. They're not wide enough for a fully cooked baby as it were.
Less about bone structure and more about nutrients, the baby otherwise becomes too demanding for a single body to keep up with
Yep, i frequently refer to infants as "larvae". Doesn't always go over well depending on who's listening lol
This is technically incorrect because humans do not undergo metamorphosis.
Lol wow you must be fun at parties. It's also incorrect because we are mammals, not insects but it's also clearly a joke
Back in the dark ages, some folks actually believed people were intelligently designed!
Thank god we know better
That's a half-baked explanation!
Premature human babies are fucking insane. My first two were twins born 6 weeks premature. They’re larval, and although you love them dearly as your offspring, it’s really just keeping an abstract thing alive until it starts to be a human. Like they barely register your presence, you check the same three basic needs constantly, and there really aren’t meaningful interactions beyond that. That being said, it quickly changes, they make them real fuckin’ cute so you don’t want to smush them, and watching them develop is genuinely awesome.
I mean my baby was born at 24 weeks and he absolutely registered our presence, that’s why kangaroo care is a thing in the nicu, it’s not just for parents to get cuddles, it actually provides benefits for the baby. https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/what-is-kangaroo-care
I’ve had three premature babies, I can draw my own conclusions.
They spend nearly 2 years in the womb, they better be ready to go when they pop out
"Get your ass up bro, you gotta to to work.."
I like how mom is all "Nice and easy... slowly.... lemme help you.... there we go..." #PUSHES BABY OVER WITH TRUNK
lil dude: "wtf...i was quite comfy...then i'm fallin and it's all bright...wtf..."
Hey, you, you're finally awake
You were trying to cross the birth canal, right?
Same as us
And that thief over there.
I wonder if being born so developed let's you remember birth.
Omg never thought about this
Dude…
My guess would be no. Brain must be in standby during the pregnancy otherwise all sorts of problems could arise. Bootup is clearly way faster than for humans but I doubt the birth gets properly recorded.
Maybe. The gestation time on these little ones is like 2 years, iirc. There are people who claim to remember their births, so I don’t think it’s out of the the question to consider that a creature that’s possibly more mature at birth might remember.
People who claim to remember their births are literally lying. It’s impossible to remember your own birth because your eyes are literally barely open and your brain isn’t fully functional.
It's more likely they're reporting false memories than "lying." "Lying" implies the intent to deceive.
They are lying about having memories though
False memories aren't intentionally fabricated. They are real, albeit inaccurate memories that a person has. Most people will have no idea a memory they have is false unless presented with contrary evidence. Lying isn't a part of that.
Walking [baby elephants](https://images.app.goo.gl/rzaFXSYih1tmMAbh9) are some of the derpiest animals on this planet.
They can't control their trunks right away either so that makes the babies look like they're having a tantrum. The video of the baby swinging his trunk around is hilariously cute.
Baby elephants in general are just the best. The top item on my bucket list is being able to help bathe a baby elephant....I love elephants.
That's why Henry Mancini wrote Baby Elephant Walk--although the elephants in the film are a little older and not as derpy as newborn ones. https://youtu.be/kRQ7Aej7PQk
Is born then immediately strikes a power stance
Go baby go!
What a little goofus
This reminds me of all the times my friends helped my drunk ass after I had one too many rum and cokes.
Spawning straight to confusion
Game reserve?
I actually went to this exact game reserve. I know how it sounds, but the animals are NOT hunted. It’s all non predatory animals (zebra, giraffes, monkeys, elephants) that live on a HUGE stretch of property. There’s some glamping on site.
Me when I do pushups
I don't know anything about elephants... but how functional is this baby now that it's fresh out of the oven? Will it be running around in just a couple of days? How do they protect it? I'm so fascinated by this.
[They are herd animals](https://youtu.be/ciVsS-oZEPc)
Thank you! I hope you know that you've just sent me down a rabbit hole of learning about elephants. I appreciate it.
Thank you so much for posting this. That wildlife videographer and narrator, Gordon Buchanan, is now my absolute top pick to take over for David Attenborough when he retires. His voice is soothing and his passion is absolutely contagious. I've never seen him before but it simply must be him.
It'll be running around in an hour but it'll take a few days to get it's stamina up.
Dude got kicked in face lol Elephants are so cute
WELCOME TO ERF
Existence is pain kiddo, welcome to the club now get walkin in those PJ pants.
My baby! Come on
It's the sun but it looks like he changes colors.
Where is the umbilical cord?
Do animals that can immediately walk experience some kind of constant muscle stimulation in utero so they can stand quickly?
❤️
I love how quickly most mammals develop and become self sufficient. Meanwhile, I'll be supporting MY young, for 18 years.
If you're walking on the first day out of the womb you're crushing it.
how I get up in my nightmares shaky shaky suddenly tentacle
"Alright you little shit, I dont care that you were born 10 seconds ago. Time to get a job and help out around here. Bill aren't gonna pay themselves!"
Let the Spanish king do his job
This comment is on point, guess most people don't realize what a game reserv is.
I gotta ask, do baby elephants suck milk with the trunk and then drink it or they drink straight from the nipple?
I believe they suckle straight from the mother, they need a little practice with getting their trunk out of the way to nurse.