Playtime Over Time Out?

Not long ago, I dissented in the comments section of another conservative blog regarding a post by a twenty-something childless person chastising the consensual parenting movement as "raising a generation of brats". I was virtually jumped for my comments. And now here, today, in the Wall Street Journal of all places, Sue Shellenbarger reports on the increasing and successful use of playtime to help control a child's behavior.

While I, myself, do not strictly adhere to a consensual parenting doctrine in the raising of my own children, I have friends who do. Their children are no worse behaved than any other children, some are better. Supporting this idea, Shellenbarger mentions the preliminary findings of a new study that identifies the primary contributors to increased bad behavior in children. Nowhere in the list does it mention permissive or consensual parenting.

This is a great article for parents, educators, and anyone who has an opinion on child development.