While going through the lecture and the book, the section that appealed to me most was the one on "Delay of Gratification." It's interesting that there was such a long-term study based on the delaying of gratification for preschoolers up through adolescents, and that they were able to conclude that (in the case of the 'marshmallow test'), those children that were able to delay the gratification of eating one marshmallow to have two would later be "...more confident, self-reliant, and able to cope with stress as adolescents."
I enjoyed reading about this test, as well as following the link and listening to Dr. David Walsh's brief explanation of the project. I also was extremely interested in hearing what he had to say about the importance of telling children 'no,' and not bending to their will just to quell a tantrum. His book is geared mostly towards parents, but his website appeals to teachers as well; we all need to recognize that importance before we enter the field and let the kids run all over us. If we can train our students to defer their gratification, then we can probably guide them to the well-adjusted life they can have as adolescents.
Another subject with which I can identify is "parent-child attachment." This attachment relates to child-peer aggression, sociability, social competence, and peer popularity. In the case that immediately comes to mind, one of my former students perfectly reflected his parents. I'll call him "Danny" for this example. Danny's parents were incredibly involved in the school. They both worked, but still made time to come to the school and help out when they could; for example, they both played in the student/teacher basketball game, and volunteered time as chaperones. They had an easy demeanor, and the adults just naturally liked them. This was reflected perfectly in Danny's peer relationships - he was friendly with everyone, wanted to help out wherever he could, and had all the energy of his parents. I only wish that every parent was like that - it would be so easy to teach children if they had that level of eagerness.
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I liked your analysis that Danny's behavior is a direct reflection of his parents' because it makes total sense. Children learn through direct teaching, social interactions, and modeled behavior. It should come as no surprise that Danny takes after his parents not only for reasons related to heredity but moreso because he learns from watching them interact with others and how they carry themselves in social contexts. This is powerful because teachers, role models, coaches, etc. carry a responsibility in socializing our next generation of children, teaching them how to be active citizens of a community.
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