Family Forum / Parenting / Spanking / March 2005

In the Summer 1987 issue of _Children_ magazine, Dr. Dennis Embry
writes:

"Since 1977 I have been heading up the only long-term project designed
to counteract pedestrian accidents to
preschool-aged children.  (Surprisingly, getting struck by a car is
about the third leading cause of death to young children in the United
States.)

"Actual observation of parents and children shows that spanking,
scolding, reprimanding and nagging INCREASES the rate of street
entries by children.  Children use going into the street as a
near-perfect way to gain parents' attention.

"Now there is a promising new educational intervention program,
called Safe Playing.  The underlying principles of the program are
simple:

  "1. Define safe boundaries in a POSITIVE way.  "Safe players play
on the grass or sidewalk."
    2. Give stickers for safe play.  That makes it more fun than
playing dangerously.
    3. Praise your child for safe play.

"These three principles have an almost instant effect on increasing
safe play.  We have observed children who had been spanked many times
a day for going into the street, yet they continued to do it.  The
moment the family began giving stickers and praise for safe play, the
children stopped going into the street.

  Dennis D. Embry, Ph.D.
  University of Kansas
  Lawrence Kansas"

If you think he is, write him at:

P.O. PAXIS Institute, 31475, Tucson, AZ 85751

http://www.paxis.org/people/DR.%20Embry%20Biography-1999.html

He enjoys a highly distinguished reputation in research on the subject
of human behavior related to learning.

Dennis is the founder of a program that has found some popularity in
schools and other venues, called "Peacebuilders." It's goal is
reduction in youth violence.

I presume that some of what he found in his research 30 years or so ago
influenced the direction of his life and works. He found that
non-punitive methods worked. In those early studies there were some
minor punishments used, but they were rare in the demographic and not
encouraged. The truth was that the non-punitive methods had resounding
success.

Kanehttp://www.paxis.org/people/DR.%20Embry%20Biography-1999.html