HA! I love that. Alison, you didn't miss a beat. the Stanley Foundation! hahaha.

Thanks! I put it on my blog first, http://hymes.wordpress.com/2007/06/02/global-warming-tied-to-untreated-schizophrenia/ , but Spoof.com is fun and will put a picture by your story for you. I also have one on there about closing dangerous loopholes that allow high winds and breezes to go unreported to the federal tornado database....

I just read the most AMAZING book: The Explosive Child by Ross Green. Really, really good. The baisc premis is that out of control, terrible, horrendous kids, aren't trying to be bad, aren't trying to be difficult -- it's just that they can't handle their emotions, and are incapble of being flexible. It's not their fault; it's is just how they are wired.

So, with that usumption, yelling and kids and punishing them, and letting them know who's boss, and giving them rewards and all that junk, is worthless -- it's not what they need. What they need are their parents to help them express thier frustration and help them problem solve before there becomes a total melt-down. The author describes his "Basket" stragtegy which basically deliniates when to have a arugment over soemthing and when to just let it go, and when to prolem solve, Basket A, B, or C. Green suggests that kids, deep down wnat to be good, they want to please people and be liked -- they are not all "manipulative" and "selfish" and all of that.

On the other hand, I read another book, The Defiant Child, and it was pretty much the opposite of this ones: It's basic thesis was that kids don't know who is the boss, and you have to do EVERYTHING within your control to ensure to that your child knows that you are in charge. And then I read another book, Your Defiant Child, and that was all about giving rewards to children when they are good. Anyway, I didn't really like those books: TDC seemed so harsh and cruel. YDC: seemed so wishy washy.

Anyway, all of my friends think I'm crazy for always reading parenting books, but I just really like kids, and they make me really happy. And Green's book is one of the best ones.