What parents believe their young child can feel and do differs dramatically from reality, according to a recent survey released by the non-profit group Zero to Three. I recently talked about the survey with Ross Thompson, Ph.D.—a psychologist and fellow board member of Zero to Three. (I serve as Vice President of the board.)

“When it comes to understanding a young child’s emotional life,” Thompson says, “many parents underestimated the vitality of a baby’s emotional experience.” For example, only 30 percent of parents thought a baby can experience strong emotions, but research shows that by the age of 6 months, and even earlier, babies are capable of experiencing and expressing a host of emotions, including anger, sadness, surprise and joy.

On the flip side, “parents really thought there was more that kids were capable of in the early years than we know to be true,” says Thompson. Over 40 percent of parents thought a child aged 3 could control their emotions and manage tantrums. Research shows that this is an unrealistic expectation.

Watch the video of my interview with Ross Thompson below. And for more information, visit Zero to Three’s website.

Research shows when your toddler’s vocabulary will take off.

The average toddler says a handful of words by his first birthday, and continues adding a few on a daily basis. Neuroscientists have figured out that once your little one has mastered roughly 50 words, a language explosion will begin and he’ll regularly surprise you with new adorably pronounced (or mispronounced) words.