For the importance of parenting, with the long-term implications for children, families, and society, there is precious little psychological theory specifically on parents and parent development. And, while there are many parent education programs available and certainly substantial research on parents (e.g., Baurmind, 1975, 1991), none are based on an overall theoretical model regarding who parents are and how they develop in relation to the parenting role. This article provides a theoretical framework, the Parent Development Theory (PDT) to assist professionals in organizing their thinking, practice, and research regarding parenting. Originally called the Parent Role Development Theory (PRDT), the PDT considers parenting by examining the important social role which parents play (Mowder, 1991, 1993, 1997). The parent role is important to understand since it is through this role that individuals perceive what parenting involves and consequently parent children. At various points on any given day, individuals perform other social roles, such as being a friend, teacher or learner, employer or employee. But when individuals interact with their children, they are performing the role of being a parent. Therefore, the PDT defines who parents are, examines the parent role individuals play, clarifies how parents and parenting develop and change over time, and explains how the parent role relates to parenting activities. The parent role is one key to understanding parents since the role is performed by individuals who create the role as well as respond to role demands (Mowder, Harvey, Moy, & Pedro, 1995). The parent role is partially an individual creation in that people conceptualize parenting based on their own prior experiences in a parent-child relationship, their thoughts and feelings about being a parent, and their child rearing expertise and understanding. But while part of the role is individually thought about, shaped, and refined, other aspects are externally imposed, like legal requirements, in socially well-de...