re: When a Parent's 'I Love You' Means 'Do as I Say'

[Aravinda]

Hi everyone this is my first post on this list. I have enjoyed
reading the discussions, particularly the "20 questions" - maybe some
day I will take a turn at them. Meanwhile, taking a cue from the
description of our group, that "Unschooling is a mindful lifestyle
which encompasses, at its core, an atmosphere of trust, freedom, joy
and deep respect for who the child is. " I thought of sharing a
recent New York Times artice by the author of _Unconditional
Parenting_ . I think that what he recommends is very much connected
with the unschooling approach to life. As you might expect (though
frankly I was surprised), his views met with a great deal of
resistance among NYT readers. I am pasting below a link to the
article as well as to my comment. I would be interested in having
some discussion here, but more thrilled if some of us could also add
our perspectives to the NYT comments page, where we have a chance to
reach a wider and more diverse audience. (this article shot to #1 in
the "most emailed" list)

my comment on HEALTH | September 15, 2009
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/parenting-with-strings-attached/?apage=5#comment-382771

Mind: When a Parent's 'I Love You' Means 'Do as I Say'
By ALFIE KOHN
Evidence is now available about the mainstream thinking on the
disciplining of children.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/health/15mind.html?emc=eta1