I’ve tried punishment. It doesn’t work. Well, it might work. Actually, it’s pretty darn effective at creating an immediate behavior change – maybe even more than just short-term behavior change. But at what cost? Who benefits from punishment? In the bigger picture – no one. Certainly not your child. In many circles of parenting, private corporal punishment is looked at as an ineffective form
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Today was my son’s 11th birthday. It’s traditional. Dinner at a restaurant of birthday person’s choice. He’s so very grown-up in many ways. All decked out in his fancy collared shirt. Making eye contact with the waiter. Things like that. And still so young. Sticking his face close to his plate and picking up the mochi ice cream with his mouth. Lying down with
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Measure How do you measure the tone of a number, how six sounds different than three? Or the way purple feels, the kind of purple when you hear the word quintuplet? Is it the same as when the butter knife levels the pillow of flour from the steel hash-marked cup on its way to making bread? Or the error inherent in weighing a puppy? There
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