When my first child was born there was considerable interest in Mozart CDs. These CDs were marketed with the promise that listening to them would enrich my son's intellectual and creative development. Behind the popularity of selling products based on such an idea is an unfortunate theme: parenting can be done quickly and with little inconvenience. The reality is that good parenting doesn't require classical music, but rather time and effort. As children grow from infancy to adolescence, the role of parents expands. How parents react to their children's actions communicates a standard of appropriate and inappropriate behavior that is met with varying degrees of conscious awareness. There are two main dimensions that underline parenting behavior. The first, and most important, is parental acceptance. Although most parents are at least moderately accepting of their children, some are indifferent, rejecting, or even hostile. Parental acceptance and warmth appear to influence the degree to which children internalize their parents' standards and expectations (Eccles et al, 1997). Children whose parents hold them in high regard are more likely to develop high self-esteem and self-control. They behave appropriately even in situations where their parents are not present. Conversely, children whose parents are less tolerant are prone to developing lower self-esteem and self-control. Therefore, they may behave when their parents are around (for fear of being punished), but behave badly when they are alone. The second dimension of parenting behavior is parental control, or the stringency of parenting standards. A moderately controlling parent sets high performance standards and expects increasingly mature behavior. A parent who... center of paper... Harrison-Hale, A.O., McLoyd, V.C., & Smedley, B. (2004). Racial and ethnic status: Risks and protective processes among African American families. Investing in children, families and communities. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Maccoby, E. E., & Martin, J. A. (1983). Socialization in the family context: Parent-child interaction. In P. H. Mussen (Series Ed.) and E. M. Hetherington (Vol. Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 4. Socialization, personality and social development. New York: Wiley.Mattanah, J.F. (2005). Authoritative parenting and promotion of children's autonomy. In P. A. Cowan et al. (ed.), The family context of parenting in primary school. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Patterson, G. R., Debaryshe, B. D., & Ramsey, E. (1989). An evolutionary perspective on antisocial behavior. American psychologist, 44(2), 329-335.