This collection of papers on parent-child relationships consists of three research reports, six research reviews and two position papers on issues critical to research and practice. Papers included were selected on the basis of their relevance to the work of practitioners who counsel parents. The volume's four thematic sections are entitled: (1) Mother/Child: Who Influences Whom? (2) How Does the Father Influence Development? (3) The Influence of Family Characteristics and Structure; (4) Methodological Issues and the Problem of Application. Research reports are: Parent to Infant Attachment; The Aftermath of Divorce; and Alternative Family Styles and Their Effects on Young Children. Literature reviews are: The Role of the Attachment Bond in Effective Parenting; Maternal Attitudes and the Development of Mothers and Children; Socialization by Parents and Peers and Experiential Learning of Prosocial Behavior; The Father's Role in the Infant's Social World; Fatherhood and the Myth of the Second-Class Parent; and Minority Families. Position papers are: Paternal Behavior and Implications for Childrearing Practice; and The Care of Young Children: Some Problems with Research Assumptions, Methods and Findings. (BF)