045: How parenting affects child development

Isn't it kind of a "well, duh?" that parenting affects child development? But do we know how? Are there really links between a family's emotional expressiveness and the child's later academic performance? We know it's not good to have really big fights in front of the kids, but do spousal quarrels screw them up too? How does the marital relationship affect parenting, and how does parenting affect the marital relationship? Today we talk with Dr. Laura Froyen, who has a Ph.D in Human Development and Family Studies and seems almost as obsessed with research on child development issues as I am. You can find much more about her work at www.laurafroyen.com.