Can parents change, or are they saddled with their present attitudes and habits? Does understanding of a child and his problems of growing up make any real difference in what parents actually do, or in how the child matures? Many people today take a negative, defeatist attitude toward those questions. However, there is a positive way of thinking about child growth and development. We have sound psychological evidence that children learn under certain conditions, when they feel a need for learning, when the task is meaningful and appropriate to their ability, when they can see results, and...