One thing the family vacation afforded us was a few minutes of Supernanny, a show about paralyzed parents standing in doorways while their children are disciplined by a surly-burly British woman. It's enough to make you want to scream at the parents, "You are the weakest link!"
Judging by the slapdash Trading Spaces decor in the house we saw--every room painted brighter primary colors than the next--maybe the rowdy kids are just traumatized by a succession of a*hole pseudo-reality TV producers. Just a guess.
What do I know, though, the NYT guy loves it. says it should be required viewing. [I think it is. In Gitmo.]
Restoring Order: Special Toddlers Unit [nyt]
I don't know, I don't have such a problem with it. Whether the reality show aspect of it good or not, I think the basic parenting ideals are right on spot:
* don't make threats you can't keep and never let them call a bluff
* if you're going to punish, be consistent
* don't punish all the kids if one does something wrong (good for me and my twins!)
* use positive reinforcement.
yeah, i know a lot of this seems obvious, but we all know people who just sit there and yell at their kids while they do nothing to follow up.
I'm not sure if an Afrikaner spanking is quite the answer, though the author seemed mighty impressed.