ABSTRACT
Parents struggle with the following issues and behaviors in early childhood years, which usually bring them in for treatment: disciplining issues; setting limits; separation issues; bedwetting; encopresis; sibling rivalry; boundary issues; anxiety; adjustment to school; learning issues, sleep disturbances; poor self-esteem; and life adjustment issues such as deaths, divorce, remarriage, illness and accidents. Children in latency years who have successfully mastered the traditional tasks of childhood including object permanence, symbolic representation, use of symbols and mental images, separation and socialization can make a more orderly transition to negotiate the challenges of latency. In this study, Gottman and DeClaire found that there were two types of parents: those who gave children information and experience while offering guidance about emotions, and those who failed to offer emotional guidance. Gottman called the first type of parents "emotional coaches" while the parents failing to deal with their child's negative emotions were labeled as demonstrating dismissing, disapproving and laissez-faire parenting styles.
