We've heard a lot about girls losing their self-esteem when they become teen-agers. But psychologist and Harvard University Professor Carol Gilligan says the problem has less to do with self-esteem and more to do with girls being afraid to express their own strengths and opinions. Gilligan has been studying girls' behavior since the early 1980s. She started a research group called the Harvard

Do you ever feel like your parents are a burden to be embarrassed about? Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God's Wife, once felt that way. Tan's mom was an immigrant from China who didn't know very much English and dressed in traditional Chinese clothes. Tan felt she could become more American and more popular by going away from her Chinese background and joining the rest o

MICHAEL SHOPSIN; ANNA MCCARTHY; MEGAN BURKE; CHILDREN'S EXPRESS Imagine rearing a child who is unable to recognize his mother's face or make eye contact with her. Imagine a child who has difficulty keeping warm and is plagued by an extremely high-pitched, nerve-wracking cry, a child who becomes frantic easily and is always uncomfortable. According to Judith Schaffer, a nationally known adoptio

Many parents teach religion and enjoy the extended family time together. For seven years, Steve Moitozo woke up whenever he wanted to. He didn't ride a school bus and he didn't have a locker. He spent his days at home with his family. But last year Steve wanted to play football, and the life he had known for seven years ended. Steve Moitozo was home-schooled. Instead of going to a regular sch