Have you ever stopped to think about how much children learn in their first few years of life, before they start school, before anyone tries in any systematic way to teach them anything? Next time you are in viewing range of a child under the age of about five years old, sit back and watch for awhile. You're in for a treat.

It's that time of year again: parents have done their shopping, labeling and packing, and driven six hours one-way to drop their kids off at sleep-away camp. And then, with the kids safely dropped off at Camp No-Ko-Me-Ko-No, the parents drive home, kick off their shoes, pour themselves a drink and start enjoying every parent's dream: the kid-free summer! Does this sound familiar? Uh...sorry. Wrong decade. That was the fifties.

Who first told you only children were lonely and bossy? When was that? Not to worry if you don't remember. "As the source is forgotten, the message and its implications gain strength."

Brain research explains stereotypes...

America's pediatricians have chosen a puzzling approach to kiddie obesity.

As adults we do have certain responsibilities toward our children and the world’s children. It is our responsibility to create safe, health-promoting, respectful environments in which children can develop. It is our responsibility to be sure that children have proper foods, fresh air, non-toxic places to play, and lots of opportunities to interact freely with other people across the whole spectrum of ages. It is our responsibility to be models of human decency. But one thing we do not have to worry about is how to educate children. ...

If Dads helped more, would Moms have more babies?  

The enormous time and energy investment of mothers compared to that of fathers probably greatly influences the number of children they bear. The division of labor ratio between husbands and wives continues to run about 2:1, a ratio that is no different from 90 years ago when women stayed home.

Everywhere we turn these days we find pundits and politicians arguing for more restrictive schooling. Of course they don’t use the word “restrictive,” but that’s what it amounts to. They want more standardized tests, more homework, more supervision, longer school days, longer school years, more sanctions against children’s taking a day or two off for a family vacation. This is one realm in which politicians from both of the major parties, at every level of government, seem to agree.

Judges are supposed to decide custody after divorce by doing what's "in the best interests of the child." That can be tough to figure out, so legal scholars are proposing an alternative: Children should spend as much time with each parent after the divorce as they did before. But a psychologist argues that this so-called "approximation rule" has little basis in science-and tilts against fathers.

In the "Ugly Duckling", a young swan goes from awkward and ugly to graceful and beautiful. This kind of transformation is also seen in abilities, and those who go from average to extraordinary are typically labelled "late bloomers". How are late bloomers possible? How can a nuanced understanding of genes contribute to our understanding?

When parents need support which siblings respond? In most families an inequity exists when it comes to adult offspring caring for their parents. One sibling doing a disproportionate amount of care often breeds heavy doses of friction and resentment.

Disasters are upsetting for everyone, but particularly for children. Probably one of the most important factors in determining how a child adapts to a disaster relates to how the child's parent or other caregiver responds. Let's take a look at some ways children react to disasters and discuss some suggestions on what we, as parents, can do to help.

What psychology experiment would you love to carry out if neither ethics nor practical reality stood in your way? For the August issue of Psychology Today, I asked several PT bloggers this question and printed four responses. Here's a more complete roundup of their insights.

Above all else, George Carlin loved language. Though it was far from his most penetrating bit, The Seven Words You Cannot Say on Television is surely his most well-known routine, having landed him in jail. So, in his honor, let's take a look at the peculiar American tendency to take offense at words.

How could a man leave his wife and children for another woman?

I guess that email about drug use at one of my kids' middle schools affected me more than I thought. While on an airplane this week, I grabbed a couple of journals from the stack of recent arrivals to read on the plane. In the most recent issue of the Journal of Consumer Psychology, there is a nice research dialogue on the influence of asking questions on future behavior.

A newly published review of 24 studies finds that fathers have an important positive influence on their kids: When fathers are engaged with their children, boys have fewer behavior problems, girls have fewer psychological problems, and both show enhanced cognitive development.

"Wait," my brother shouts to my mother in his most determined voice, "George is way behind." She stops to let George catch up. On other occasions, my brother insists George be pushed on a swing or a cookie be saved for George. George, my older brother's imaginary pal, trailed him everywhere for a significant period of time. Months? Years? No one in the family can recall George's precise lifespan.

Why do we as a society present our children with such conflicting options, values, and expectations for behavior? Are we trying to drive them crazy?

Father's day came and went and although no men reside permanently in my home anymore, I had a front row seat on the spectacle of modern fatherhood right in my own dining room.

Can anyone be a Mozart? New research sheds some light on this question, by suggesting that while practice is certainly an important factor in music achievement, other factors may play as much, if not more of a role.