Educational Media Reviews Online

Common Concerns of Parents of Young Children is an excellent program in the First Step Series, that focuses primarily on four main concerns parents may have pertaining to their young child's development and well-being. Early childhood educator, Dr. Frances Bond is joined by Dr. David Levy, pediatrician and a representative of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Dr. Angelo Bolea, child psychologist, to discuss and offer common sense suggestions to four major questions posed by four concerned parents.

The first concern is expressed by the parents of a two-month-old, who have been reading about early development and are wondering what they should be doing to provide adequate and appropriate stimulation and interaction. Video clip examples of parents interacting with their children are interspersed with responses of Drs. Levy and Bolea, which stress the importance of taking cues from the youngsters as to the level and amount of stimulation they require, as well as initiating good reading practices early.

The second concern is the issue of the "terrible twos," when a child is rapidly evolving into an independent individual, with an increasing level of language skill and, possibly, an added problem of changing sleep patterns. A discussion of the child's level of development and object permanence are broached and Drs. Levy and Bolea bring up the importance of seeking out an answer to whose conflict is it, really - the child's or the parent's. Once this has been answered, then the parent can attend to the issue. Their information regarding picking your battles and defining two differing levels of 'no' in dealing with a child in this age range is very helpful.

Sibling rivalry, or as these three have renamed it, sibling sharing, is the third concern and indicates three issues faced by parents bringing an additional child into the family. The first is recognizing anxiety exists for the older child. The second is the need to take into account the developmental stage of the older child when dealing with this issue. And the third, to recognize parents experience a level of anxiety as well. Drs. Bond, Levy, and Bolea define sibling rivalry as a panicked state experienced by the first child who worries that his or her needs wouldn't be met due to parental involvement with the new youngster. Parents who understand this are better able to resolve it through means such as spending special time with the older child or assigning them tasks of importance.

The final concern is the issue of death and how to discuss it with a child. After a reminder to take into account the child's developmental stage, parents are advised to be honest, to use simple language to explain death, and that it is appropriate for the parents to show emotion in front of the child. Dr. David Levy suggests that families coping with this situation read the book The Fall of Freddie the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia.

The cinematography was well orchestrated with changing scenes between the three doctors and the video clips of parents and children interacting. These and the varying camera angles on the doctors helped to keep the audience involved. All audio and editing was of quality and the level of language and content was appropriate for the parents of all ages and experiences.

This would make an excellent addition to a public library's parenting collection, as well as one in a library that supports parenting classes or programs. Common Concerns of Parents of Young Children not only supplies common sense suggestions to parents and reinforces those who are on the right track with their child's development and well-being, but it also raises fresh ideas and approaches with which to tackle these important issues. For, as stated in the video, being a parent is the most important job one could have.

This reviewer, a mother of an active two-year-old, highly recommends this program.