The Six Stages Of Parenthood

Ellen Galinsky has been on the faculty of Bank Street College of Education in New York City for over twenty years. She directs many national and international research projects there and is a consultant on child and adult development to day-care programs, corporations, and the media. She is the author of The New Extended Family, Family Matters in the Preschool Years, and Beginnings.

The Image-Making Stage * Introduction * Accepting the Pregnancy * Preparing for Parenthood * Preparing for the Birth * Reconciling Ones Images of Birth with Reality * Facing the Feelings of Attachment * Redefining Relationships in the Early Years The Authority Stage * Developing Authority * Gaining Distance * Dealing with Sex Roles and Identity The Interpretive Stage * Interpreting Oneself as a Parent * Interpreting Ones Children to the Children * Separating and Connecting * Interpreting the World to the Children * Deciding How Involved to Be The Interdependent Stage * Adapting to a New Authority Relationship * Dealing with Sexuality * Accepting the Teenagers Identity * Forming New Bonds with the Almost-Grown Child The Departure Stage * Preparing for the Departure * Preparing for the Departure * Adapting to the Departure * Changing Images * Loosening Control * Taking Stock of Successes and Failures * Epilogue