Responsive parenting is characteristically child-centered and creates a climate where children's needs are met. While responsive parenting has been studies less than harsh parenting, initial evidence supports a negative relationship between responsive parenting and children's externalizing problems. The current study sought to identify mechanism by which responsive parenting reduces risk for externalizing problems in the preschool years. Specifically, the study sought to evaluate the extent to which children's language development and children's emotion regulation skills mediate the expected negative relationship between responsive parenting and children's externalizing problems. While responsive parenting was found to be negatively related to children's externalizing problems, support for mediation was not found. Results are discussed in terms of what may account for the lack of support for study hypotheses