This study attempted to determine whether different forms of child misdemeanors lead predictably to given types of parental discipline. Twenty-four mothers and their children, who ranged in age from 10 to 20 months, participated in the study for a 9-month period. Mothers were trained to report their children's behaviors and their own socialization practices in narrative, sequential, tape-recorded reports of their children's responses to the positive and negative emotions expressed in the familial environment. Mother and child behaviors were also assessed by home observers during 14 home visits. One finding was that immediately following a transgression, mothers were more likely to use verbal prohibitions than any other type of discipline and that if children did not comply to initial discipline, mothers used additional discipline. Additional results showed that children who were frequently implicated in harm to persons were especially likely to have mothers who used explanation, while children who were frequently involved in property damage were likely to receive physical punishment and unlikely to hear explanations. Frequent lapses of self control in children were reliably associated with mothers' relatively frequent use of love withdrawal. Other results are presented and discussed and implications for issues of child abuse are examined. (JMB)