Examines the effect of birth order on child development, noting that spacing of children, gender, family size, and family configuration all play a role in determining what effect birth order will have. The article looks at various traits of firstborn, middle, lastborn, and only children. (SM)

The National PTA President writes about the PTA's desire for parents to cherish their children, noting the importance of the early years in developing emotionally and physically strong children. The article introduces the National PTA book, "Growing Up Confident," which presents practical ideas on good parenting. (SM)

The article discusses self-esteem as the key to parenting a successful, happy child. It notes ways parents can help foster self-esteem starting at a very early age. Ten suggestions for building a child's self-esteem, developed by the National PTA, are listed. (SM)

The article presents guidelines for creating a thinking environment for children at home. Teachers today have little time to emphasize thinking skills, so parents must make their homes more thoughtful places by encouraging questions, open-mindedness, discussion, and practice time using simple everyday experiences to teach critical thinking and…