Even though we may be on the edge of a new world order, the recent crisis in the Persian Gulf makes it imminently clear that we are continually on the edge of nuclear war. The following review provides information on children's knowledge, feelings and fears about nuclear war. Implications for teachers to help address children's concerns are also discussed.—S.B.S.

This study examined American and Filipino parents’ perceptions of the ideal child. One hundred seventy‐five Americans and 142 Filipino parents were administered the Torrance's Ideal Child Checklist. Results showed significant differences in their responses to factors related to achievement and sociability among girls and negativistic‐critical and creative‐intuitive behaviors among boys and girls. There were no significant differences between American and Filipino parents in their responses to factors related to achievement and sociability among boys. The cultural implications of these findings are discussed.

This study was a survey of 402 parents of gay and lesbian children from the northeastern, southern, midwestern, and western regions of the United States. Of particular interest was parental response to the knowledge of their child's homosexuality and the AIDS outbreak. Although parents suffered emotional upset upon learning of their children's homosexuality, many progressed through a five-stage grief process that ended with acceptance. Fear of the spread of AIDS, that their offspring might contract AIDS, or that their child might suffer from the backlash related to AIDS were concerns for most parents. Attitudes toward AIDS were not very different between mothers and fathers. However, older parents were more likely to have more positive attitudes toward AIDS than younger parents, and liberal parents were more likely to have a more positive outlook than their conservative counterparts.

Teachers are often faced with confusing messages when dealing with nontraditional boys and their families. The authors address how research and clinical issues have contributed to this confusion. Different theoretical approaches for working with nontraditional boys are presented. A humanistic perspective is taken to offer practical suggestions for teachers in working with nontraditional boys, their peers and families. KEY WORDS: Nontraditional boyssex rolesearly childhood education

(1985). Play, Games and Sport: Their Use and Misuse: A Developmental Perspective. Childhood Education: Vol. 61, No. 3, pp. 192-198.

Early family backgrounds of gay fathers compared to a matched sample of gay nonfathers were investigated, with particular emphasis on parent‐son relationships. It was hypothesized that, contrary to predictions based on Freudian theory, there would be no difference in homosexual fathers' and nonfathers' perceptions of their early family life and relationships with their mothers and fathers. Questionnaires from 30 gay fathers and 30 gay nonfathers derived from a larger nationwide study of 285 homosexual men from Dignity chapters in the Northeastern, Midwestern, Southern, Southwestern, and Western United States were analyzed using analysis of variance. No difference was found between the gay fathers' and gay nonfathers' perceptions of their parents' acceptance of them. Both groups perceived their mothers to be significantly more accepting than .their fathers. Both groups also reported growing up in intact homes where heterosexual relationships were modeled for them, pleasant memories existed, and marital discord was not commonplace. These results support the growing body of research which questions the Freudian‐based concept of a causal relationship between early familial relationship patterns and sexual orientation.

Four-year-old Jeff talked excitedly about his day at school as the carpool moved toward home. He had climbed a tree, had dug in the sand and had ridden the tricycle. He had built a ship with blocks and had painted a picture. He had also cooked a “gourmet” clay dinner and had enjoyed serving it to his “wife” and friends. He had worked puzzles and had listened to stories.

This study assessed the sex role endorsement of homosexual men at different ages across the life span. A sample of homosexual men from dignity chapters in the northeastern, midwestern, southern, southwestern, and western United States was mailed a demographic questionnaire and the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Respondents were classified into four age brackets and categorized as androgynous, masculine, feminine, and undifferentiated. A pattern of diverse sex role endorsement was found from adolescence to maturity in which gay men were equally androgynous, masculine, feminine, and undifferentiated at each age level. This finding contradicted an earlier study of heterosexual men that reported increasing numbers of androgynous males with age. The contrast suggests that the sex role endorsement of gay men may be very different from their heterosexual counterparts. It was further suggested that gay men are capable of meshing masculine and feminine aspects of their personalities early as well as later in life, that gay men do not comprise a homogeneous group, and that the stereotype of cross-gender role endorsement is unfounded.