5
Part Four
Understanding Children’s Growth
and Development
Part Five
The Challenges of Parenting
Part One
Decisions About Parenting
Part Two
Positive Parenting
Part Three
The Beginning of Parenthood
Contents in Brief
1 Parenting: A Rewarding Choice 14
2 Families and Parents 29
3 The Decision to Parent 52
4 Becoming a Competent Parent 78
5 Developing an Effective Parenting
Style 109
6 Moral Development and Character 137
7 Planning a Family 160
8 Pregnancy 179
9 Prenatal Care 202
10 Decisions Facing Parents-to-Be 221
11 Childbirth 246
12 New Parents, New Baby 272
13 Parents and Their Infants 297
14 Parents and Their Toddlers 337
15 Parents and Their Preschoolers 372
16 Parents and Their School-Age
Children 408
17 Parents and Their Teens 439
18 Family Concerns 470
19 Family Crises 492
20 Child Care Options 521
21 Children’s Health, Safety, and Special
Needs 540
22 Careers Related to Children, Parenting,
and Families 564