The survey, conducted by C&R Research, focuses on how parents handle issues relating to parenting style, cognitive and social development, peer relations, discipline, self-esteem, emotions, nutrition, health and fitness, family balance and other daily parenting issues. In addition to parent responses, Dr. Richard Gallagher, Director of the Parenting Institute at the NYU Child Study Center, and other experts weigh in on what they believe are the best answers to the survey questions.
"Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs, and learning the best ways to deal with difficult situations with sensitivity is crucial," states Dr. Gallagher. "Seeing how other parents and child development experts react to day-to-day dilemmas is a valuable resource for any parent."
Freddi Greenberg, editor in chief of Nick Jr. Family Magazine, agrees. "Parents are the ultimate experts when it comes to their kids. Surprisingly, the way they go about parenting often differs from the opinions of other parents and from the experts."
Survey results show that when making decisions, parents rely on their gut over expert advice. In fact, experts and parents match up on only about half of the answers of the survey. Despite their parenting confidence, 56% of them gave themselves a 'B' for parenting performance.
Parents can take the survey on NickJr.com/magazine to see how they rate compared to other parents.
About the NYU Child Study Center
The NYU Child Study Center is dedicated to the understanding, prevention and treatment of child and adolescent mental health problems. The Center offers expert psychiatric services for children and families with emphasis on early diagnosis and intervention. The Center's mission is to bridge the gap between science and practice, integrating the finest research with patient care and state-of-the-art training, utilizing an extraordinary new facility and the resources of the world-class New York University School of Medicine. For more information, contact the NYU Child Study Center at (212) 263-6622 or visit www.AboutOurKids.org.
About Nick Jr. Family Magazine
Nick Jr. Family Magazine, launched in 1999, represents the first interactive publication designed for both parents and their young children. Building on the playful learning philosophy of the Nick Jr. brand, Nick Jr. Family Magazine uses the language of play to bring parents and children together. Each issue contains an interactive "do-together" section, a "parents" section and a special pull-out magazine for kids called "Nick Jr. Noodle." Nick Jr. Family Magazine has won numerous Parents' Choice Awards, Association of Educational Publishers Awards and was named one of ADWEEK's Top Ten Hot List in 2002. Nick Jr. Magazine has a circulation of 1.05 million and a total audience of 5.525 million.