What If Everything You Knew About Disciplining Kids Was Wrong? | Mother Jones

by ParentCo. July 07, 2015

man sitting a child desk with chalkboard in the background

Does it make sense to impose the harshest treatments on the most challenging kids? And are we treating chronically misbehaving children as though they don't want to behave, when in many cases they simply can't?
That might sound like the kind of question your mom dismissed as making excuses. But it's actually at the core of some remarkable research that is starting to revolutionize discipline from juvenile jails to elementary schools. Psychologist Ross Greene, who has taught at Harvard and Virginia Tech, has developed a near cult following among parents and educators who deal with challenging children. What Richard Ferber's sleep-training method meant to parents desperate for an easy bedtime, Greene's disciplinary method has been for parents of kids with behavior problems, who often pass around copies of his books, The Explosive Child and Lost at School, as though they were holy writ.
His model was honed in children's psychiatric clinics and battle-tested in state juvenile facilities, and in 2006 it formally made its way into a smattering of public and private schools. The results thus far have been dramatic, with schools reporting drops as great as 80 percent in disciplinary referrals, suspensions, and incidents of peer aggression. "We know if we keep doing what isn't working for those kids, we lose them," Greene told me. "Eventually there's this whole population of kids we refer to as overcorrected, overdirected, and overpunished. Anyone who works with kids who are behaviorally challenging knows these kids: They've habituated to punishment."
Source: What If Everything You Knew About Disciplining Kids Was Wrong? | Mother Jones


ParentCo.

Author



Also in Conversations

Potty Training from Birth Transformed My Parenting Journey
Potty Training from Birth Transformed My Parenting Journey

by Heather Medlin

It is clear to me now, two kids and two different experiences later: our babies are born ready. All they need is for us to be ready to listen, and respond.

Continue Reading

Your Village Doesn’t Have to Live Nearby
Your Village Doesn’t Have to Live Nearby

by Danielle Owen

I had no idea how infuriating the question “how can I help?” would be when there was a sink full of bottles and an empty fridge. Mom friends to the rescue.

Continue Reading

boy having a tantrum
How to Handle a Tantrum in Public Without Losing Your Cool

by Tere Medina

Beyond knowing how to handle a tantrum to avoid public embarrassment, we can begin to view them as a valuable opportunity to teach our children life skills.

Continue Reading