However, a good enough mother helps to establish a deep enough sense of trust and safety so that the child is able to play freely. In the pairing of mother and child, baby makes tentative gestures of creativity, testing to see how they will be received. A baby bangs a cup and a spoon together with delight and looks to mother for her reaction. The mother’s role is to “be the environment” that embraces the child’s spontaneous creativity with tolerance and understanding.350
