Stranger Anxiety

Object permanence.  That's when a baby realizes that just because something isn't visible doesn't mean it doesn't exist.  This awareness typically develops around six months.  Or in Clara's case, five and a half.  It is often accompanied by varying degrees of stranger anxiety.  Babies realize that there are options for upon whom they must rely.

I've been thinking about this a lot after seeing Clara FREAK OUT last night when I briefly left the room two different times.  She was so upset!  After the first incident, I wasn't convinced it was due to my leaving, as it had never happened before.  The second time it was clear.  Poor Crystal and Ryan!  They tried to warn me.


Here are my reactions:
1. Stranger anxiety is ...anxiety.  I don't like the idea of my five month old baby feeling intense anxiety like this.
2. This could actually be a good thing in the unlikely case that a stranger with bad intentions ever tried to approach her.  It's a baby alarm.
3. This is going to make it much more difficult to utilize childcare.
4. I think being overly tired contributed to her "episode."
5. I feel really sad for putting her in a situation where she felt that unsafe.  She was sobbing and shaking after my first exit.  I picked her up to comfort her, and because this was during bath time and she was diaper-less, after calming down and relaxing... let's just say I got a little extra wet.  This was the cause of my second (misjudged) exit of the evening.
6. I hope this doesn't hurt anyone's feelings in the future.  Ryan and Crystal don't mind, but it is kind of awkward as a general rule.
7. I'm a bit humbled.  As with most things in parenting, I thought I could take steps to ensure this would never be an issue.  I now realize, again, that I really can't control this baby.
8. It's slightly cool that she is displaying signs of attachment to me.

Mitch points out that this is not a trend until it happens on three occasions, so saying, "Clara has stranger anxiety" is not a sufficiently evidence-based claim.
I agree that's true, and hopefully it will be an isolated event.  I want Clara to feel safe and secure and happy and nothing less!