To Be Himself, One Neeeds To Be

I Can Be A Tool Of Torture Or An Instrument Of Inspiration. I Can Humiliate Or Heal. In All Situations, It Is My Response That Decides Whether A Crisis Will Be Escalated Or De-escalated And A Child Humanized Or Dehumanized.

Whenever I Hear About A Child Needing Something, I Ask Myself, 'is It What He Needs Or What He Wants?' It Isn't Always Easy To Distinguish Between The Two. A Child Has Many Real Needs Which Can And Should Be Satisfied. His Wants Are A Bottomless Pit. He Wants, For Example, To Sleep With His Parents. He Needs To Be In His Own Bed. At Christmas He Wants Every Toy Advertised On Television. He Needs Only One Or Two.

Wise Parents Know That Fighting A Teenager, Like Fighting A Riptide, Is Inviting Doom.

Teenagers Crave Independence. The More Self-suf-ficient We Make Them Feel, The Less Hostile They Are Toward Us.

When Gentle Persuasion [of Children] Falls On Deaf Ears, We Resort To Ridicule And Rebuke. Then We Return To Threats And Punishment. This Is The Modus Operandi Of A Mutual Frustration Society.