The younger brother of a hyperactive, severely learning-disabled 21-year-old recounts his feelings regarding lack of parental attention, jealousy toward his older brother, embarrassment, and finally empathy for his older brother. (CB)

Notes that children whose parents divorce will experience a decline in the quality of their relationship with the noncustodial parent and that many children from divorced families will spend a significant amount of time without an adult male present. Calls for research to examine effects of weakened child-father bond. (NB)

Argues that success in placing the emotionally disturbed older child depends less on the nature and extent of the child's psychopathology than an identifiable configuration of parental characteristics allowing successful adopters to incorporate the child without an intolerable level of family pain or chronic crisis. (Author)

Argues that depictions of Black mother-daughter relationships in American literature are rare and often negatively stereotyped. Focuses on five novels said to reveal these relationships in realistic complexity: Dorothy West's "The Living Is Easy," Paule Marshall's "Brown Girl, Brownstones," Toni Morrison's "Sula" and "The Bluest Eye," and Alice…

Explores the problems and benefits that may occur in families in which a parent is homosexual. Research is reviewed and critiqued in discussing the legal and developmental questions that are often raised concerning the impact a parent's homosexuality has on his or her children. In addition, the qualitative relationship between the parent and child…

Argues that low self esteem and familial environment are causatively linked to substance use and abuse, and that the parent-child relationship provides the experiences from which self esteem is learned. Substance abuse is a frequently observed, maladaptive attempt to cope with the experience of pain associated with low self esteem. (Author/BL)

This article focuses on how parents and institutions can create a positive climate for children's emotional health. An increasing number of mental health professionals believe that parents and adults can dramatically reduce the amount of depression and suicide among children and teenagers by modeling and promoting learned optimism. Values also…

The mother of a Down's syndrome four-year-old describes how a slight adaptation in a playground swing allowed her son to experience the joy of independent play. (CL)

Discusses the implications of deafness for cognition and describes communicative systems (the oral method and sign language) for the deaf. Holds that parents of deaf children should teach them both signing and speaking. (GC)

Discusses the need for more relevant family life education and the sources of information about childbearing. (JOW)

Research and theory appear to indicate that adolescents may be as capable as adults of rendering competent decisions regarding their own medical treatment. Professionals who provide treatment for minors should attempt to determine how each child can participate in decision making affecting his or her own welfare. (Author/MJL)

Describes the historical context of a systems approach to the family; defines basic systems concepts with emphasis on their application to the family; and describes some axioms of human communication theory and the role they play in understanding family communication from a systems viewpoint. (PD)

Discusses the topic of reciprocity of needs between children and caregivers and argues that children need to learn dependency before they can securely learn independence. (Author/RH)

Conclusions from research in the areas of maternal deprivation, institutionalization, and parent-child relations are used to conceptualize and hypothesize about dimensions of daily separation experiences relevant to attachment. (SS)

The authors review developmental, educational, and social psychological perspectives and empirical research regarding childhood leisure and the structure of children's free time. (Author/DB)