Brief
Parents are often worried or confused by changes in their teenagers. The following information should help parents understand this phase of development. Each teenager is an individual with a unique personality and special interests, likes and dislikes. However, there are also numerous developmental issues that everyone faces during the adolescent years. The normal feelings and behaviors of the middle school and early high school adolescent are described here. (Author abstract)
Brief
Parents are often worried or confused by changes in their teenagers. The following information should help parents understand this phase of development. Each teenager is an individual with a unique personality and special interests, likes and dislikes. However, there are also numerous developmental issues that everyone faces during the adolescent years. The normal feelings and behaviors of the late high school adolescent are described here. (Author abstract)
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Journal Article This study examined the effect of father-child interactions on the behavior and health of young children in a sample of 182 families reported to child protective services. Data were collected from interviews with the child and his or her caregiver and from reviews of child protective service records and teacher reports. Variables included child and family characteristics; parental and family functioning; extrafamilial relationships; community environment; religious affiliation; child outcomes; and service utilization. Whereas the presence or absence of a father or father figure seemed to make…
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Journal Article This paper uses data from the baseline Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study to examine the level and effects of father-involvement on child's birth weight and mother's health behavior during pregnancy (prenatal care, drinking, drug use and smoking). The findings indicate that most fathers, including unwed fathers, are involved with their children at birth and have intentions to remain involved. The effects of father involvement on health and health behavior depend, however, on how the construct is measured. When measured as parents relationship status (married, cohabiting, romantic or…
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Journal Article Previous studies have revealed that marital status is an important predictor of birth outcomes, with unmarried mothers having a higher probability than married mothers of delivering low birthweight babies. However, research on the impact of different mother-father relationships among unwed parents is virtually non-existent and little is known about whether and how father involvement affects birth outcomes. In this study, we use the sample of unwed patents in the 7-cities baseline Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing data to examine the effect of parents relationship status and support…
Brief
This book reminds parents of the challenges and stresses teens may be experiencing, and how these pressures influence teen behavior. The book reinforces the parenting skills that are essential to raising teenagers and keeping them out of trouble, and it explains exactly how to address challenging, risky, defiant, and anti-social behaviors. The book forcuses on effective communication: how to avoid making threats and put-downs, offer clear explanations, stick with the issues at hand, negotiate successfully, and stop interrogating or lecturing. The author uses examples from his practice to…
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Journal Article Using data on 189 adolescents who have a living biological father and a resident stepfather, we examined the effects of children's relationships with both fathers on child outcomes. Interview data from mothers and stepfathers provide an assessment of two types of child outcomes, internalizing and externalizing problems. Interviews with the children themselves provide data about the child's relationships with the mother, stepfather, and biological father. Results show a significant positive association between quality of relationship with stepfathers and child outcomes. Relationships with…
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Journal Article Infants and toddlers form secure attachments with their fathers as well as with their mothers. Research across other cultures and with other primate species shows this, so there is no biological imperative requiring inflexible parental roles. The question is not, "Are men capable parents"? It is "Under what conditions will they perform capably"? (Author abstract).
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Journal Article One of the first steps to increasing father involvement in your program is to ask yourself: "Is the child care environment in which I work father friendly?" In other words, do fathers feel welcome, and are they encouraged to be involved in the care and education of their children? Maybe you already involve fathers in a meaningful way. If so, great! Keep up the good work. But if you haven't had much success involving fathers or haven't given much thought to the issue, please consider the following suggestions offered by Levine, Murphy, and Wilson (1993): expect fathers to involved; put out the…
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Journal Article Interviews with forty 10- and 11-year-old children (24 boys and 16 girls) investigated the effects of parents' division of child care responsibilities on children's self-esteem, their relationships with parents, and their gendered ideas and preferences. Children whose fathers participated relatively more in the emotional side of parenting (e.g., comforting) showed greater preferences for "feminine" activities and had higher self-esteem than children whose fathers were less involved. Children whose fathers performed a higher proportion of the "work" of parenting (e.g., transporting, planning…
