What’s in a milestone? Understanding your child’s development
Photo: Getty Images Children come in all shapes and sizes, but not with a manual. Childhood achievements such as walking and talking are often celebrated signs that things are going well in a child's life. However, once these achievements start being compared between children (at the park, on Facebook), they can become the cause of anxiety. "Why isn't he crawling yet? Is her language normal? Is there something wrong?" It's often difficult for parents to know whether they should be waiting or worrying. Asking for advice is natural but lots of opinions can be confusing. Doctors, health professionals or early childhood teachers may give differing opinions about childhood development, as they often look at it from different perspectives. Family and friends may give alarmist advice or be falsely reassuring. Parental knowledge and instincts about their children are very powerful, but parents often lack objective reference points to compare their child
