Power Struggles: Parents vs. Children

Human Nature to Fight (07:12)
Children bring their individual personalities with them into the battles of their lives. A set of one-year-old triplets shows three distinctive personalities. One is dominant and assertive, one is quiet, and the other has a strong sense of humor.

Mirror Test: Self Awareness (02:16)
Humans and apes demonstrate self recognition but do not posses this skill from birth. Humans master this skill around 18 months of age as the frontal cortex matures.

Impact of Self Awareness on Behavior (02:20)
Once children become self-aware they seek to establish themselves as individuals and force their wills upon others.

Impact of Adult Depression on Young Children (05:01)
Mothers suffering from depression experience difficulty responding to their children's needs. This insensitivity can have a lasting effect on the way their children form relationships.

Bedtime Battles (03:25)
One toddler's personality, combined with the ways in which her mother relates to her, lead the child to learn to deal with conflict through compromise.

Night Owls and Early Birds (01:56)
Glands in the brain secrete a hormone called melatonin, which helps prepare the body for sleep. Genetics plays a role in determining whether people like to stay up late or get up early.

Developing Sensitivity to Needs of Others (04:00)
An infrared camera indicates that one toddler spends several hours awake and alone in his crib each night due to his mom's depression. Because he loses so many battles Ethan learns he doesn't have much control over his environment.

Empathy Test (04:24)
Humans are born with the ability to connect emotionally with others but children must have sensitive parents in order to learn empathy. The development of one boy who exhibits aggression is affected by his mother's depression.

A Child With Too Much Power (04:23)
Adults can help their children grow up and gain independence. A mother who was born without arms struggles to manage her toddler's unruly behavior. She needs to find a way to gain control over her son and teach him empathetic behavior.

Discipline Techniques: Similarities Between Training Dogs and Children (05:39)
A dog trainer works with a puppy by ignoring bad behavior and rewarding good behavior. A first-time mother of twins practices this same technique and the twins respond favorably.

A Set of Triplets Show Difficulty Learning Self-Control (05:28)
Children develop mentally and socially at different rates but those developing most rapidly are also those with the best behavior. A set of triplets seems to be developing slowly and exhibits strong oppositional behavior.

A Child Shows Lack of Independence (02:28)
A toddler shows extreme lack of self-control, possibly due to the fact that his mother has not encouraged him to grow and learn. Ethan needs some space to grow in order to learn independence.

Developing Empathy and Control (02:29)
A woman born without arms faces special challenges in disciplining her child. She makes progress in teaching him to be sensitive to her feelings and to practice self-control.

Eating Behavior Modification (02:18)
A set of twin boys learns better eating habits when their mother sits down to eat with them. The twins learn to imitate the desired behavior and with increased responsibility develop more independent skills.

Progression Through the Terrible Two's (01:45)
A family recovers from the toll of a mother's year-long struggle with depression. With his mother's return to work Ethan begins developing new skills, independence, and empathy for others.

Transfer of Power From Parent to Child (02:04)
Improved parenting skills and increased responsibility for two-year-old Paris greatly improves both his behavior and maturity.