The world has changed since the first edition of this pioneering text was published in 1979, and with it the context of parenting has changed.  Parents today must not just help their children learn socialization, but also teach them the skills and abilities they need to cope with the rapidly changing society of their future.  Using the family systems model, the author explains how families function, how they strive to maintain stability over time, and how they change and adapt as children grow up.

The book offers the following pedagogical tools to help students prepare for their roles as professionals working with parents and families as well as becoming parents themselves:

• Frequently Asked Questions–allow students to see parenting concerns and issues not only through the eyes of a parent, but also those of a therapist who consults with the parent.
• Focus On–highlights information discussed in the chapter.
• Parenting Reflections–provide opportunities for readers to check their understanding of the content they’ve just read about.  Also promotes critical thinking and encourages empathetic involvement with the parenting topics being discussed.
• Family Snapshots–These case studies throughout the book provide students with a broader understanding of how the various theories found in human development and family studies are applied to parent-child relations. 

New To This Edition:

NEW: Includes expanded coverage of attachment between parents and children–Explains how it affects development of both adults and children.

• Increases student understanding of the importance of nurturance at all levels of development. 

NEW!  Gives a much greater emphasis on the cultural context of parenting throughout and especially in Chapters 1 and 2–Describes how parenting is shaped by family ecological and cultural factors.

• Provides for increased development of empathy and understanding of the global human development issues affecting parenting topics.