Norman Denzin presents a social psychological account of how the lives of children are shaped by social interaction, particularly interaction with parents and other caretakers

Dedication, Preface, Introduction to the Transaction Edition, Chapter One Childhood Socialization: Interactionist, Historical, and Contextual Dimensions, Chapter Two The Politics of Childhood, Chapter Three Logic of Naturalistic Inquiry, Chapter Four Studying Symbolic Interaction in Childhood, Chapter Five Interaction and Language Acquisition in Early Childhood, Chapter Six Childhood as a Conversation of Gestures, Chapter Seven Genesis of Self in Early Childhood, Chapter Eight Play, Games, and Interaction, Chapter Nine Child's Play and the Construction of Social Order, Chapter Ten The Work of Little Children, Chapter Eleven Children and Their Caretakers, Bibliography, Index