Speaking on Behalf of Children: Stop Blaming the Victims
by Dawn Fry

October 2004

Dr. Phil Doesn’t Know Parenting!

Don’t turn to Dr. Phil if you want parenting advice because he teaches the same outdated and ineffective methods that so many other “experts” use. Dr. Phil’s parenting advice is based on authoritarian behaviors. He advises families :

• Pick your battles very carefully. (When did we declare war on our children?)
  
• Only pick conflicts you can win. (Why do we have to make children losers?)
  
• Children are suppose to obey. (Isn¹t obedience training for animals?)
  
• Reward good behavior. (Good by whose standards?)
  
• Punish children with timeouts. (Are exclusion and humiliation education?)
  

Dr. Phil must not know that his advice disrespects children’s rights. Bullying behaviors
have become so deeply rooted in today¹s society that it now seems to be reasonable “professional advice”. In fact, Dr. Phil encourages families to use bullying behaviors with their children.

Why are bullying or authoritarian behaviors damaging? They manipulate and control through pain and humiliation. They include behaviors such as preaching, evaluating, labeling, threatening, judging and punishing. These disrespectful behaviors “discourage” children, resulting in not only a loss of courage, but also a loss of dignity and self-respect.

We, as a society are imposing the very same behaviors on children that we teach as being wrong. We need to do something to help America¹s so-called “out-of-control” children. Dr. Phil and all the other childcare “experts” who use bullying techniques must stop contributing to problems. Dawn Fry¹s article, “Speaking on Behalf of Our Children: Stop Blaming the Victims”, points the way to end bullying behaviors with children.

In her article, Ms. Fry talks about:

• Why outdated methods of child care are damaging children.
  
• What the “experts don’t know and why.
  
• What are authoritarian behaviors?
  
• What we can do to end child abuse and childhood violence.
  
• How to teach social responsibility and the principles of equality and order.
  
  

Dawn Fry, Children¹s Advocate, has developed DawnTalkTM Friendly Technology, the cure to bullying. By learning “Friendly Communication Skills” families will have more understanding, patience and confidence in parenting choices. Families will know how to use friendly discipline and children will learn self-control, self-reliance and self-confidence.

T: (510) 638-1464
F: (206) 202-2225E: Dawn@DawnTalk.com