Unsure Smile

I was at the grocery store early in the morning a few days ago to pick up a few essentials. A mom with a little baby was there too. While mom was scanning the breakfast cereal aisle, baby sat in the cart and looked around curiously. At some point we made eye-contact. Under my mask I was smiling at her but the baby had no way of knowing. She may have sensed friendliness in my eyes and was almost beginning to smile when a look of confusion took over and she decided against it. She continued to look in my direction as I walked away. The incident stayed with me for the rest of the day. 

All my adult life, I have had the privilege of random babies seeking me out to play peek-a-boo, smile, laugh, prance and generally try to get my attention. I have cherished every one of those moments. Babies are known to boss over me and get me to participate in their capers that other more sensible adults may not want to be any part of. To me there is nothing more relaxing than to spend time with a child, become part of their world for a little bit when small things become the temporary center of the universe. It is a meditative experience. That morning with that baby confused by my mask, I was wondering how much this pandemic is hurting children of that age who need to study the faces and expressions of adults to understand the world around them. This Brookings Institution study on the topic is very timely:

As more and more people are covering their faces in public, it becomes difficult to read facial expressions and see people smile (or frown). While this may not pose challenges for adults, young children look for emotional cues from caregivers to interpret novel or potentially threatening situations. That is, children rely on their caregiver’s facial expressions and tone of voice to regulate their response toward people and new situations. The development of this emotional communication is referred to as social referencing, and occurs between infancy and the early preschool years.