Bonding and Attachment

About the Book

Attachments begin at birth and continue throughout life. Intimate attachments to other human beings are the hub around which a person's life revolves, when he or she is an infant, toddler, adolescent, and into old age. The securely attached child develops the belief that he or she can influence the conditions around them. Bonding is the loving commitment by a parent to meet and fulfill an infant's needs. Attachment is the special relationship of trust and love of an infant towards a parent who meets his or her needs. Attachment behaviors enable the mother and father make unusual sacrifices necessary for the care of their infant, day after day and night after night.

This book reviews the issues of major importance in the current study of bonding and attachment. Adopted children and children who have spent some of their childhood in foster care account for a disproportionate number of unattached children. The insecurities and many problems that adults experience are often related to a lack of bonding and attachment in early childhood.

The format was planned so that it can be used as a teaching tool. The purpose of the book is to gain knowledge and understanding in this field of study for the benefit of those who are born and grow up unattached to another human being. Children who grow up without the ability to give or receive affection, those who cannot tolerate other people's limits on them, and a host of other problems, may become social outcasts and never reach their potential. Can anything be done for them? The answer is a resounding yes. It is never too late to learn to connect with others in a healthy way that can be helpful to all involved. It is never too late, but it is not easy.

Attachment is a lifetime process. It is necessary for the child's well being and has a lifetime impact.

About the Author

The author is he biological mother of three children, the adoptive mother of two, and the guardian of a sixth child, all of whom are now adults. She was a foster mother for years, as well, and cared for many children.

In 1992, she went to Russia with a team and volunteered in the cancer unit of a large children's hospital. It was a heartrending experience that changed the direction of the author's life forever. She and her co-worker have sent many boxes of supplies to the hospital. Since 1993, Yvonne has made four trips with teams to Romania. She has volunteered in orphanages, and hospitals for children with AIDS and Failure to Thrive. She has taken baby blankets and medicine to hospitals and a home for abandoned boys.

She was invited to speak at a junior high school and at a senior high school in Romania. Each room was filled with the brightest children in their school. They had to earn the right to attend the class and were tested afterward. She taught at a women's prison and held a question-answer session afterward for the women who were incarcerated. One of the questions they asked was, "Do American women who are imprisoned get to see their children?" They told her they did not get to see their children and they miss them.

Most recently Yvonne spoke in Taiwan at a conference for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sex Abuse. She taught at a YWAM school, as well. She was a guest speaker at River of Living Water Church on Sunday morning.

Yvonne is retired from Arizona Child Protective Services. She investigated and provided services for hundreds of at risk children and their families. In August, 1994, the State of Arizona, Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) honored her work by awarding her DCFS employee of the quarter. She was selected out of over five thousand employees.

Yvonne's years of dedication and hard work have earned her a level of success that is noteworthy. Her biography is included in Marquis Who's Who in America and Who's Who in American Women

Yvonne has a Master's Degree in Counselling and Family Studies. She reports that the most rewarding thing that she has done in her life is raise her children.