How does anyone identify a "terrible" infant? That seems to imply they are capable of terrorizing.. I admit I do not understand the concept of labeling an infant as that, and having behaviors towards the infant be a response to that. It's just too convenient for parents who would rather deflect blame, for not having made better efforts with consistent and genuine actions to make a child feel safe and loved - regardless of the child's demeanor. Just my opinion.

Psych practitioners are quite curious about my lack of closeness with either parent, or with any other likely substitutes. I suppose it is a bit mystical how I ever managed to have healthy relationships in my own life, with no examples in my childhood to be found.

My mom always said that I was a daddy's girl, that I wouldn't take the bottle from her, and would wait until he got home.. but knowing my mother's penchant for manipulation of others, combined with the fact that I was bred in a very specific attempt to keep an already failing marriage together, I suspect that she was pushing this idea on both of us. She likely withheld the bottle from me, attempting to force bonding between myself and my father. However, my father - besides being a pedophile and a frightening rageaholic - was an extremely distant, stoic, and cold individual, so it very likely was an experience that actually had negative impact on me.

I just don't think that an infant can truly reject a parent; even logistically this seems quite impossible. I do think a lot of parents have unreasonable expectations about what kind of human their child should be, and what they should be for them. Dr. Phil has an expression "born with a job"; no child should be, but I definitely fall into the category.