ABSTRACT
The information we present here is based on findings from two longitudinal intervention studies of 200 couples with young children, studies that included a randomized clinical trial design to evaluate the effects of interventions for expectant parents or parents with young children, and videotaped observations of mother-child, father-child, and couple interaction (Cowan and Cowan, 2000; Cowan et al., 2005). Before we discuss the results of our studies and our answers to the question, "What do mothers want?" we begin with an anecdote from a single "case." We posed the question to one of our daughters, who
some readjustment. These changes challenge parents to find new coping strategies when old ones are not sufficiently helpful. For many, they also stimulate the reawakening of long-buried, unresolved individual and relationship issues, which can be accompanied by anxiety, depression, or irritability-discombobulating for many and frightening for some. Transitions lead to different results in different families. At the same time that transitions create conditions for growth by stimulating the development of new skills, they increase the risks for dysfunction if the individuals and families find themselves without adequate resources to deal with the changes in their circumstances.
