Pearls advocate less spanking
by Michael Davidsen
I’ve been enjoying the controversial parenting book To Train Up a Child by Michael and Debi Pearl of No Greater Joy. A friend of ours gave us two copies: one for my and one for my wife.
I was tickled at how Michael refers positively to anti-spanking arguments (pounding on a child’s lower back with a flat hand could throw it out of alignment) and says that his methods actually result in less spankings. Once a child knows that there really are limits, maybe he won’t cross them.
Some consider this book as a tool of fundamentalist indoctrination and an invitation to child abuse. But its emphasis on never disciplining in anger, and never using religion as a disciplinary tool, makes me think otherwise.
I’ll tell you more next week.
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