An ounce of spanking worth a pound of Ritalin?

One behavioral pediatrician seems to think so, writes Nancy Shute in her parenting-focused blog with US News. She was in the process of reading an article by her longtime correspondent Lawrence Diller when she came across his rhetorical question: "Could it be that America would rather give unruly kids a pill than a swat?" This necessitated an immediate phone call to ascertain his position on spanking, one of the more contentious issues in the realm of modern child-rearing.

She fills out her blog post for the day with excerpts of their long distance Q&A session, in which he laments the tendancy for parents to give in to the demands of their children out of fear of being too harsh. If a parent takes what he describes as a 'vow of abstinence' from spanking, says Diller, he or she may be less likely to firmly discipline the unruly child. In addition, a lack of discipline with regards to setting effective boundaries can lead to significant behavioral problems later on during the child's developmental years.

Between her questions and Diller's responses, the language stays at a relatively high level. Each query is conversationally informal, but direct enough to keep the information flowing. Diller's answers are thoughtful and firm throughout the blog entry. There are no significant grammar or spelling mistakes either, putting this blog a head above the internet's average postings.

So does spanking cure ADHD? Hardly. Rather, firm discipline and unwavering determination from parents are ultimately just one facet of rearing a well-behaved, emotionally stable child whose outbursts no longer devolve into irritating and inappropriate tantrums.

The blog posting can be found here. At its close, Miller mentions that he was asked to write for the website Opposing Views, where he would be taking the position of 'pro-spanking.' Asking him to do something like that is simply incendiery and probably a waste of his time, given that his remarks concerning spanking have already been taken out of context.

The interview excerpts are organized quite effectively from start to finish, and the reader can walk away feeling significantly informed concerning this man's position on disciplining children with ADHD. Since it is but a partial transcript of the conversation, the reader may feel as though the presentation of the information is a bit rushed, although again, this blog post is significantly more coherent and interesting (in this writer's eyes, at least!) than the dribble that pours out of unofficial sources of 'news' that have become so widespread on the Internet. The official news organization banner, the high quality of writing and the particularly qualified and respected subject of the interview all convey a strong sense of legitimacy to this blog.