Contending that nurture determines development, Briggs contends that parents are responsible for building children's self-esteem; felt to be a critical element for children's success in all endeavors. Aimed at all developmental levels from infancy through adolescence, management methods involve clear directions for communicating with children at different ages and use of social reinforcement (praise and verbal redirection). Practical suggestions are provided for managing the behavioral conflicts likely to occur at each developmental stage. Parents' roles as nurturers are not idealized excessively; mistakes can be rectified and parents are taught to deal with such likely feelings as anger. In its advocacy of tolerance for verbal misbehavior, some parents may find a conflict between realistic appraisal of a child and unconditional valuing, as well as with parenting by democracy. There are no apparent presumptions of family structure or material resources. The reading level is moderately easy and the text sufficiently well-organized.