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families (Tamis-LeMonda, Briggs, McClowry, & Snow, 2008), [6] and better in Chinese families than in American
families (Chang, Lansford, Schwartz, & Farver, 2004). [7]
Despite the fact that different parenting styles are differentially effective overall, every child is different and parents
must be adaptable. Some children have particularly difficult temperaments, and these children require more
parenting. Because these difficult children demand more parenting, the behaviors of the parents matter more for the
children’s development than they do for other, less demanding children who require less parenting overall (Pleuss &
Belsky, 2010). [8] These findings remind us how the behavior of the child can influence the behavior of the people in
his or her environment.
Although the focus is on the child, the parents must never forget about each other. Parenting is time consuming and
emotionally taxing, and the parents must work together to create a relationship in which both mother and father
contribute to the household tasks and support each other. It is also important for the parents to invest time in their
own intimacy, as happy parents are more likely to stay together, and divorce has a profoundly negative impact on
children, particularly during and immediately after the divorce (Burt, Barnes, McGue, & Iaconon, 2008; Ge, Natsuaki,
& Conger, 2006). [9]
Physical and Cognitive Changes in Early and Middle Adulthood
Compared with the other stages, the physical and cognitive changes that occur in the stages of
early and middle adulthood are less dramatic. As individuals pass into their 30s and 40s, their
recovery from muscular strain becomes more prolonged, and their sensory abilities may become
somewhat diminished, at least when compared with their prime years, during the teens and early
20s (Panno, 2004). [10] Visual acuity diminishes somewhat, and many people in their late 30s and
early 40s begin to notice that their eyes are changing and they need eyeglasses. Adults in their
30s and 40s may also begin to suffer some hearing loss because of damage to the hair cells (cilia)
in the inner ear (Lacher-Fougëre & Demany, 2005). [11] And it is during middle adulthood that
many people first begin to suffer from ailments such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure
as well as low bone density (Shelton, 2006). [12] Corresponding to changes in our physical
abilities, our cognitive and sensory abilities also seem to show some, but not dramatic, decline
during this stage.