This study investigated the relationships between parental treatment of thirty-two 4-year-old girls and the girls' relative competence and dependence. The conduct of the girls and their parents was observed. The parents' child-rearing attitudes were assessed from questionnaires. The following classification scheme was created: parents who treated their child as an adult would be Type I; those who treated their child as an infant, Type II; and those who treated their child as a 4-year-old, Type III. It was hypothesized that (1) parents of dependent children would be rated higher on both the Type I and Type II variables than parents of competent children, (2) parents of competent children would be rated higher on the Type III variable than parents of dependent children, and (3) discrepancy between child-rearing practices and child rearing philosophy would be more evident in parents of dependent children. Hypothesis (1) was supported by the data on fathers, but no significant differences were found between the mothers. Hypothesis (2) was supported for mothers, but no significant differences were found between the fathers. The data for hypothesis (3) indicated that no significant differences for either mothers or fathers existed. (WD)