ABSTRACT
It could be said that the goal of childhood is to become an effective person. Effectiveness includes being able to get along with others and to work productively. During childhood, the development of effectiveness depends upon the acquisition of a variety of skills. Getting along with others involves, for example, being able to initiate and sustain appropriate interactions, form and maintain relationships, and know how to do this with a wide variety of people, including family members, teachers, classmates, friends, and unfamiliar persons. Effectiveness also entails being able to access, understand, and use social and academic knowledge in order to be productive in work-related activity, such as being a good student. The developmental course to such effectiveness begins very early in life and continues throughout the life course. From the moment a parent realizes a baby has been conceived, that child begins to exert an influence on the life of the parent and family. The scientific challenge for us is to understand how these child effects bear on the development course to child effectiveness.
