> FWIW, the biological mother as the default primary care giver for very small children seems to be a cultural universal. (That is not to suggest that the default should be assumed to be automatically superior.)
It's a default that made sense back when men had to go hunt an elk to feed the family.
There was some period of time when our daughter wanted her mother more than me, but at 8 months she seems neutral as between us. It helps that she's bottle fed and I do the night feedings, so we've bonded over that.
This is all something that makes much more sense in 2013 when I don't have to go elk hunting.
It's a default that made sense back when men had to go hunt an elk to feed the family.
There was some period of time when our daughter wanted her mother more than me, but at 8 months she seems neutral as between us. It helps that she's bottle fed and I do the night feedings, so we've bonded over that.
This is all something that makes much more sense in 2013 when I don't have to go elk hunting.