We live in a time of transition, a demographic revolution that is altering

the American workforce as well as the American family.

Sixty-five percent of all mothers w~h~:hildren under 18 years of age work

outside the home. There are more single parent families and because of our

mobility there is less extended family support to help us meet the demands

of balancing work and family.

We have tried to go on about our business as though nothing has

changed. We have acted as though the "Norman Rockwell" image is the rule

and the rest of us are exceptions forced to make do as best we can.

But everything has changed. As this book points out, the ramifications of

these changes can be positive or negative depending on how we respond to

the change.

Thanks to the insight of people like Dr. Ken Magid, Carole McKelvey, Dr.

T. Berry Brazelton of Harvard, Dr. Foster Cline, Dr. Edward F. Zigler of Yale

and others mentioned here, we have been given a unique chance, a gift, if

you will. Their research and hard work shows us that we are at a crossroads,

and we have a limited opportunity to respond.

Their work must convince us to act now before we become

entrenched by default, in policies that establish high risk situations for our

children. Our task is difficult to respond quickly and at the same time