There is robust evidence that babies as your as six months old can show sadness and fear, but 69% of parents don’t think that children experience these feelings until later, according to a study of 1600 families prepared for Zero to Three, an American research and advocacy organization.  According to the same study, two-thirds of parents don’t realize that babies can sense their parents’ moods from birth.  And 43% believe children can manage their own emotions by the age of 3, although most children develop that ability between the ages of 3 and 5.

Source: Globe and Mail, Monday June 7th, 2010, page L3.