different problems that arise. For example, most of the research on parenting has been done in Europe
and North America, and it is easy to slip into assuming that a generalization about parenting in the
United States is a generalization about parenting. One of the most refreshing things about these
volumes is that so many of the authors recognize the limits of their generalizations, and point to the
need for more cross-cultural data. They leave no room for thinking that the dynamics of the
mother-daughter relationship, for example, is just the same in Burundi and Boston, or even in
Cambridge, England and Cambridge, Massachusetts. The way the volumes are organized shows not
only that mothers in general are different from fathers (which is not to say that the one cannot take
on the other's role), but that parents are not the only ones who parent, and that children of different
ages and with different problems need different sorts of treatment. It implies that parenting has
multiple determinants--hormonal, psychological, social, sociological, cultural, historical, and eco-
logical.

The diversity of approaches in these volumes will elicit different responses, but I would emphasize
three issues. First, parenting practices must fit the child. Parent-child interaction differs with gender
of parent and gender of child, and perhaps should so differ. The issues for infants differ from those
of middle and later childhood and adolescence; and they differ for healthy children and children with
handicaps. Second, it is the parent-child relationship that matters. And, as many of the authors
emphasize, this is not something that is imposed by the parent, but something that is co-constructed
by parent and child. They are in it together, for better or worse. That means that in real life, one is
always dealing with a particular parent and a particular child co-constructing a particular relationship:
Parental sensitivity means sensitivity to this child and not necessarily to that one.

Third, because parenting has multiple determinants, there are multiple ways in which parents can
be helped. Parents' attitudes and beliefs are important, and most parents are eager for advice. But
beyond that, in many parts of the world, there is much that can be done to smooth their way, to increase
the chances that they will be able to provide a secure base for their children to lead full and happy
lives. And that raises another issue, of how parents' lives are changed materially, socially, and
psychologically by what they have become. However, this book is about parenting and not about
parents.

I'm sure this book will be a landmark, and I am sure that many will be profoundly grateful to Marc
Bornstein and all who have taken part in this challenging and timely enterprise.

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