Most parents have experienced feelings of irritation, embarrassment and frustration when their child misbehaves. It seems as if today’s kids are having a harder time than ever maintaining self-control.
In “The Good News About Bad Behavior: Why Kids Are Less Disciplined Than Ever — And What to Do About It,” author and journalist Katherine Reynolds Lewis explains why.
When she faced parenting challenges with her own young children, Lewis used her reporting skills to investigate the phenomenon of bad behavior, crossing the country to talk to parents, teachers, and kids and learning what works and what doesn’t from the top parenting, classroom-management, rehabilitation, and brain-science experts.
Lewis’ 2015 piece for Mother Jones about discipline at school, “What If Everything You Knew about Disciplining Kids Was Wrong?” struck a nerve with parents; it went viral via social media and quickly became the most-read story the magazine had ever published. In her book, she presents a comprehensive portrait of the modern state of bad behavior and highlights game-changing strategies.
Lewis, a certified parent educator, walks parents through four empowering approaches, all of which share three key components, to help parents navigate tricky behavioral situations and work with their children toward better solutions. Her outline of an Apprenticeship Model of parenting gives kids responsibility within ever-increasing limits.
Lewis will give a talk about her book and methods at Landmark on Main Street, as part of their Conversations from Main Street community programs, on Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m.
This free event is co-presented with the Port Washington Early Childhood Partnership and the Port Washington Children’s Center.
Landmark on Main Street is located at 232 Main St. in Port Washington.