TOP 100 SCIENCE SITES
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| Led by China, carbon pollution up despite economy WASHINGTON (AP) -- Despite a global economic slump, worldwide carbon dioxide pollution jumped 2 percent last year, most of it from China, new figures show.... hosted.ap.org |
Should you treat your children like dogs? Can dog-whisperering techniques used to control canines also work with children?On parenting blogs, websites and Twitter, the guilty admissions are all the same: the training techniques of Cesar Millan, AKA "The Dog Whisperer", work on kids too. Millan has published four books; his show runs on a perpetual reel on the National Geographic channel. "As I watched him work with an extremely aggressive pit bull," admits a woman called TheMentorMom on Minti.com, "I saw that some of his techniques and philosophies applied to teaching children."While a push on the neck or a loud "Sshht!" could cause raised eyebrows at the toddler group, the notion that dogs and children share a need for calm, assertive "pack leaders" and that both need exercise, discipline and love seems reasonable. No wonder such theories are challenging the trend for indulgent "helicopter" parenting."Today's parents have less time for their children, so when they do see them the last thing they want is confrontation," says psychologist Dr Aric Sigman, author of The Spoilt Generation. "But parents are finally realising that the tail is wagging the dog. Authority is a good thing."Parenting coach Judy Reith used the Dog Whisperer's techniques on her terrier, Ollie. Now she applies them "every day" to her three daughters (aged 18, 15 and 10). As with her dog, she says, "I sometimes have to assume an air of quiet confidence with my children, even if I don't feel it inside. Parents just want to be their [kids'] friends because they hardly see them. But it's no good being their friend. You need to be unpopular sometimes and lay down the law."Sigman points to universals in "behaviour modification techniques" across the animal and human world: a bear cuffing her cub, an elephant in effect "shouting" at a straying calf. Even in adolescence, he says, "Teens still want you to be the pack leader, if only to rebel against you."But other experts are more sceptical. "Using Dog Whisperer techniques on kids infantilises kids and adults," says Dr Frank Furedi, author of Wasted: Why Education Isn't Educating. "Quick-fix techniques like this distract from the important task of creating a relationship with a child."Surely, though, a quick fix is better than chaos? So I try the technique at home. When my out-of-control labrador snatches a sausage from the table, I tell him "Ssshh" then, in a calm, firm tone: "Go to your bed." He looks at me, quietly defiant. I scream it, and he obeys. My three children Isabella, 10, Sam, eight, and Ted, five, meanwhile, seem surprised when I explain with calm authority that TV time is over. They don't whinge for long when I snap it off. However, my eldest finds the idea that she has anything in common with the dog a bit offensive. "Dogs can't learn on their own so they need more help," she says, "But kids need to be a bit naughty sometimes. If parents just take control all the time then we'll become too sensible too early in life. And sensible people are no fun."Parents and parentingAnimal behaviourChildrenPetsFamilyLucy Atkinsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Scientists Start a Genomic Catalog of Earth’s Abundant Microbes These tiny, resilient life forms, representing “the vast majority of organisms on earth,” are still largely unknown to scientists. feeds.nytimes.com |
The Doctor's World: For F.D.R. Sleuths, New Focus on an Odd Spot A new book, “F.D.R.’s Deadly Secret,” revives an intriguing theory about a medical mystery around the 32nd president that persists to this day. feeds.nytimes.com |
Sunflower DNA map could produce plants for fuel SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- A $10.5 million research project aimed at mapping the DNA sequence of sunflowers could one day yield a towering new variety for both food and fuel.... hosted.ap.org |