A few weeks ago, I published an interview with Judy Arnall on the topic of unschooling (listen here) which is a radical departure from the so-called "traditional" model of educating children.
Well, I ended
up having a lot of questions for Judy regarding parenting because I'm a parent myself and am often beset with questions as to what is the correct course of action in childrearing.
It turns out Judy has written a number of books on the topic of what she calls "non-punitive
parenting." A couple titles are:
So I asked Judy if she would be game for a "round 2" for the podcast, she readily agreed. And as I began reading her thoughts on punishing our children, a few questions came to my mind I would want to
ask her. Such as:
-What's the difference between punishment and discipline?
-What are the most common objections to the non-punitive parenting concept?
-Are these objections made with good intentions albeit misguided?
-Why do you say it is unhealthy to praise a child?
-How much adjustment did you need to make in your parenting vs. how you were raised?
-What is the motivation for parents who punish their children? Is it rooted in pride? Shame? A desire to conform with the crowd?
-How do parents bribe their children? And what are healthier ways of giving them what they want?
-How can parents promote a healthy environment while laying down and enforcing house rules?
-Don't you see it as problematic to teach children that there are no consequences for their actions when they'll be living in such a punitive society?
-What are ways for parents to express frustration with their oftentimes belligerent children without allowing their anger to get the best of them?
Well I was able to ask all these questions of Judy in
our second go around, and she didn't disappoint. If you're a parent and struggling with whether or not "punishing" your children with time-outs, grounding, spanking, etc. are going to have long-term effects on your relationship with them, this episode is for you!
Listen
to the newest episode of the This Is What We C.R.A.V.E. podcast here: https://jamesdnewcomb.com/judy2