"Don't Shoot the Dog" by Karen Pryor (http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Shoot-Dog-Teaching-Training/dp/1860542387/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313900714&sr=8-1). This was for a Behavioral Psychology class. One of the underlying themes of the book (hence the title) referred to training children (or animals) to have good behavior rather than "shoot the dog" when he gets out of hand.
While at my mountain home this summer, I walked into the laundry room downstairs and saw this chair up on the table (and dirty clothes) just like this. I didn't put the chair there. I can just picture my dad being fed up with one of the grandkids rocking on this chair incessantly or multiple children fighting over the chair, so he got rid of the chair - easy as that. At least it was the chair he got rid of, instead of the child :-).
The chair made me smile (maybe it was my sister who put it up there - would she shoot the dog?). I don't know how my dad 'parented' me as a little kid, I honestly don't remember being 'parented' :-). I think his ways have changed. I tell my children my main form of punishment was to "do the dishes". (Just to set the record straight - my main abuse of rules was to torment my sisters (little sisters).)
Oh yes, there were a few spanks and lots of reaching behind the car seat to give me a pinch for acting up in the car. Those were the worst because if he happened to get the wrong girl . . .
All in good fun right? Fun to reminisce and especially fun for me to have my kids at my mountain home. More posts to come.
Could not take the fighting, got rid of the object instead of the child, I am my father's daughter!
ReplyDeleteSide note, it worked!
"go do those dishes!"
Funny! I had no idea it was you Melissa, but I laughed when I saw the chair.
ReplyDelete