In proposing connections among the paradigms represented by domain theory, parental control theory, and Baumrind's configural approach to parental authority, the worldview of each paradigm must be respected and ambiguities in core concepts must be resolved.

Blaming parents for perceived shortcomings in their children is one of the oldest teacher strategies for escaping responsibility. As difficult as it is at times, it is critically important that teachers see the goodness in every parent and understand that every parent wants the best for his or her child. What makes parenting difficult is that so…

Parents are one of the most important influences in positive child and youth development, yet too many caregivers, especially those in higher risk families, fail to receive supports that would improve parenting and family functioning. By strengthening parent/caregivers and their connections to resources, communities can improve child and youth…

In this article, the author responds to a teacher's question on a baby's behavior who keeps banging on his high chair and laughs uncontrollably. The author states that young children pay close attention to adult's emotional responses. Their lives depend on knowing the best ways to get positive or at least neutral responses from grown-ups in charge…

Oppositional defiant disorder is an individual diagnosis given commonly to children and adolescents who exhibit a pattern of noncompliant and defiant behaviors. Some children's temperament, behaviors, and interpersonal style merit this diagnosis. Other children, however, exhibit behaviors consistent with this diagnosis within the context of their…

It is a common article of belief that each child is unique. Action based on this belief, though, is rare. Researchers have largely neglected the question of the causes of children's individual uniqueness. But, when difficulties and serious problems arise in the course of child rearing, causality is located in the dynamics of family functioning.…

This paper explores important conceptual issues that confront researchers who wish to study the role of empathy in parent-child interaction. Part I reviews the major existing theories of parent empathy offered by the psychoanalytic-object relations and the client-centered schools of thought. In part II, a new processing model derived from the…

Considerations in estate planning for learning disabled children are presented from the perspective of an individual who is both a lawyer and the parent of a learning disabled child. It is suggested that an important goal for parents is to train the child to be able to deal with his/her financial situation. Early training in the habit of saving…

Approximately 20 percent of all American children regularly spend some time in self care. Under certain circumstances, leaving children home alone to care for themselves may be an appropriate option for some working parents. Still, such self care is risky business. This paper offers guidance to parents who choose to, or must, leave their children…

A teacher of elementary school students and father of preschool age children admits his errors and misconceptions concerning child rearing, discusses what he has learned from his children's communicative behavior, and offers suggestions to parents for promoting the growth of children's expressive abilities. (Author/RH)

Joyce Carol Oates is unique in American fiction for her portrayals of the terror and the beauty in the mother-daughter relationship--the tensions and the bonds created by this particular form of doubling. Her more interesting explorations portraying some deeply pathological and some positive aspects of this form of doubling include the following:…

This paper discusses factors that affect parent-child relationships when children become adolescents. Several factors are seen to be related to the development of reciprocity in parenting behaviors between adolescents and their parents. Factors related to the development of reciprocity are (1) teenagers' physical and intellectual development and…

Discusses the various elements of the movie "E.T.": characteristics of the central character, animism, the world of a young child and the world of the adult and the conflict between the two, the blend of real and impossible characters and events, and the movie's appeal for children and adults. (CT)

Discusses ways in which Myron Hofer's work (1987), which draws on studies of rodents and primates, alters the traditional perspective on human attachment. Emphasizes the importance of the component of attachment that does not develop in explaining attachment in the first six months of life. (PCB)

A single parent relates personal experiences and feelings regarding the death of her 16-year-old son. She also describes ways in which those who have lost a child can be comforted. (BB)