Mother, father, sister, friend: Metaphor and the craft of child care

Abstract

Language not only reflects, but shapes our perception of the world. In child care, the perception has been shaped by imagery borrowed from the medical and behavioral-learning models. But these fail to illuminate the key feature of child care, the relationship between child and worker. The metaphors of “competence” and “professionalism” attempt to make up for the inadequacies of the other models, yet neither of these ground the abstract “care” in everyday experience. Developmental science provides the base for a child care perspective, and the metaphors of care need to be sensitive to this base.