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PART FOUR

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Middle Childhood

Every age has joys and sorrows, gains and losses. That is an axiom of the science of life-span development. But if you were pushed to choose one best time, you might select ages 6 to 11. Middle childhood is often a time of good health and steady growth as children master new skills, learn thousands of words, and enter a wider social world. Life is safe and happy; the dangers of adolescence (drugs, early sex, violence) are still distant.

But not always. For some children, these years are the worst, not the best. They hate school or fear home; they suffer with asthma or intellectual disability, they are bullied or lonely. Nor are these years straightforward for adults. Instead, controversies abound. Should children with developmental disorders be medicated? What do school tests signify? Does single parenthood, or divorce, or cohabitation affect children? The next two chapters explore both joys and problems.