I was at the Parenting Expo today and listen to a talk by a "baby whisperer". She stated that we need to teach babies to be independent. By that she meant mums' being able to go to the toilet without the baby crying, teach them that we will come back. Whilst I agree with letting them know that we will come back, I am unsure if we are really making them independent by being able to leave them alone without them getting upset.

So I suppose the real question is What is independence?

To me, it is a baby trying to do things for themselves, not whether they can handle me leaving the room. It is seeing my baby walking, trying to feed herself with a spoon, turn the pages of book etc Aren't these signs of them growing up and therefore becoming independent. Can't we as adults or as children, be able to enjoy and want the company of others? What do others think?