Affectionate, less controlling mothers have strongest
relationships with their children
Researchers long have evaluated the roles parents play in
children’s development. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have
found that mothers’ directiveness, the extent to which they try to control the
content and pace of young children’s play, varies based on the children’s ages and
the mothers’ ethnicities. In addition, the study found that the more directive
the mothers were during play, the less engaged children were with them and the
more negative emotion the children displayed toward their mothers.