The paper analyzes the effect of the child - parent relations on the mental development of the preschool child, discussing various views on the structure of parents' position. The authors put forward a model of the parents' position containing two parameters: 1) "acceleration - amplification" - methods parents use to influence the child's development, taking into account his/her age characteristics and promoting their full realization, or aimed at acceleration of development and ignoring the child's age peculiarities; 2) "activity - passivity" - accepting the necessity of active participation in the child's development or withdrawal. The above two-factor theoretical model served as the basis for a questionnaire diagnosing parents' positions relating to preschoolers' psychological development.