(18) How parents and caregivers choose between these three schools of thought matters. While we may not consciously remember how we were treated in our earliest years, the first three years of human life are vital to the development of our implicit memory serving as the foundation for how we feel about relationships, trust, and love. In fact, eighty-five percent of the neural pathways relating to how we respond and interpret the world are formed in the earliest years of our development. Sensitive caregiving, particularly in the first three years, correlates with professional and social success/happiness in later life. Yes, how babies and toddlers are treated matters -- a great deal.