The New York Times discovers that some parents are looking for child-rearing tips from an unusual source: Cesar Millan, otherwise known as the Dog Whisperer.
[S]ome parents — particularly those weary of never-say-no techniques and child-rearing books suggesting that children should call the shots — say they find inspiration, and even practical advice, in Mr. Millan’s approach, which teaches pet owners how to become the alpha dogs by projecting his trademark “calm-assertive energy.”
[ . . . ]
Allison Pearson, author of the novel “I Don’t Know How She Does It,” which explored the stresses of modern motherhood, explained how parents would naturally envy the authority of dog trainers. “My generation got itself in a muddle about parenting,” she wrote by e-mail. “We thought that obedience was the enemy of love. We didn’t want the kids to be afraid of us, but after a while we found ourselves wondering: do we have to do what they say the whole time?”
“Unlike modern parents,” she added, “dog trainers don’t think discipline equals being mean. They understand that dogs are happiest when they know their position in the hierarchy.”
What a bizarre culture we live in where people treat their dogs like children and their children like dogs.
November 24th, 2009 | 10:50 am
Encourage and praise at all times
November 24th, 2009 | 9:45 pm
Thinking about the last sentence of the original post: If you want an eye-opening experience, ask a group of college folks, “If you had the choice of a human you don’t know unexpectedly dying or your pet dog unexpectedly dying, which would you choose?” Routinely, whenever I have asked this question, well over half of the students choose the death of the human.
If you place the human somewhere else in the world, in another country, the ante goes way up. Many students then select ten or more humans dying over the death of their dog.
As you said, what a bizarre culture: both gushily sentimental and chillingly ruthless.
November 25th, 2009 | 3:09 am
Two things are required, that they know they are loved, and that they know they’re not everything. A child who receives nothing but praise and encouragement will turn into a modern narcissist and a moral jellyfish. Capital Punishment should be used only as a last resort.
November 25th, 2009 | 10:25 am
However, our politically correct culture is just so finicky about capital punishment for our kids.
November 25th, 2009 | 2:56 pm
I was being facetious. Corporal punishment should be used as needed; daily, if necessary. When my daughter was little, there would be days when she just started out cross and whiny. Eventually I would loose patience and give her a couple of swats. Afterwards she would be bright and happy for the rest of the day. Sometimes I wondered if we shouldn’t just start the day with a spanking before breakfast, administered with the daily vitamins.
Links
Blogs
Find Us
Contact