It's so easy to be a praise junkie, and full time mothering is not good place for that addiction! =) The way we tend to view kids' accomplishments as parental report cards is just so unbalanced. Yes, what we do and don't do has profoundly significant effect, but it's also very true that kids really do come into life with different aptitudes, abilities, personalities and inborn developmental timetables. Really, they do, regardless of pre-natal nutrition, Mozart in utero, or any other parenting practice later on. It's good and natural to delight in our children and route for them but, desperate for affirmation, we've ascribed a little too much to ourselves. The ugly flip side of all this is that, inevitably, we'll end up trying to build ourselves up by knocking others down. It's human nature. It may be only inwardly, but eventually it comes out. Parents desparate to find affirmation and beef up their pride can be brutal, subtly and not, actively and passively, to other parents. I've hated being the victim of that over and over again. My first child (who, it turned out, has autism and other difficulties) was significantly delayed on most measures of development. I can't tell you how many times I heard things like, "Of course he's not walking yet because you must just be carrying him all the time." (Of course, people did see me carry him a lot in public-- hello! because you can't put your baby down to crawl through the mall or down a city sidewalk!-- and saw it as confirmation. Never mind that we worked very hard with him in his development every single day behind closed doors.) And so on in every area. Three subsequent babies have proved that I am, in fact, quite competent in aiding the development and abilities of my children, but the feelings from all of those judgements linger. Parents, let's give each other grace! Let's give each other encouragement in the things that really matter. Whatever Laylee's hearing abilities, I'm sure that you'll be the kind of wonderful loving parent who helps her to be all that she was intended to be. Thanks for your post.