The relationship between family life events and rates of maternal reports of child behavior and child rearing problems was studied in a birth cohort of 1,265 New Zealand preschool-aged children. Mothers experiencing a large number of life events reported higher rates of child rearing problems. The correlation between family life events and child rearing problems persisted when a number of statistical measures of family and social background were taken into account. Possible explanations for the relationship between family life events and maternal reports of child rearing problems are discussed.