| |
 |
About
The Author
James
C. Talbot |
Shortly after being awarded a
full scholarship to Oberlin
College in 1970, I read a
book
entitled,
Summerhill: A Radical
Approach to Child Rearing,
by A.S. Neill. It was an
experience that changed my
life. I found it impossible to
deny Neill’s logic, his reason,
his love of children, and his
level of humanity. As a result,
my understanding of Child
Behavior was greatly enhanced
and proved to be the beginning
of a long career.
I married my
second wife and had two wonderful children
who we raised together. While in college, I
played drums with The Fable, an incredible
rock band in the Cleveland area, and
graduated from Oberlin College in 1972. My
post-graduate studies were conducted at
Adelphi University, Case Western Reserve,
Bowling Green University, and the University
of Northern Colorado, while maintaining a
3.8 G.P.A.
My professional
endeavors have included being a social
worker, teaching at an alternative high
school, youth counselor, group counselor,
attempting to found an alternative boarding
school, serving as the Executive Director of
the Sandusky Valley Board of Drug Abuse,
Activity Therapist and Instructor at a
private school for the severely
developmentally handicapped, college
counselor, an expert parenting website
author, and childcare consultant. One could
say that I’ve been around the block once or
twice.
Why this book?
After over twelve years of surfing various
parenting websites, and posting/writing as a
child advocate, I’ve come to the conclusion
that a vast number of parents simply lack a
sound understanding as to why children do
what they do. The consequence of this too
often results in parents displaying a lack
of patience and tolerance in their parenting
practices. This is often coupled with a
strong orientation toward punishments as a
parental teaching method.
It has been
these attitudes and perspectives toward
child rearing that have served as a major
obstacle in my efforts to encourage parents
to adopt positive methods of discipline. I’d
like nothing better than to help change
these attitudes and perspectives toward
children.
In the name of
Child Abuse Prevention, I have spent a good
deal of time debating the practice of
spanking, which is the major factor
associated with reported cases of child
abuse involving physical injury. If parents
can be persuaded to discard this form of
punishment, they will find themselves open
to alternative forms of discipline. Hence,
one will find that I have much to say
related to this method of punishment.
I feel it’s
important to point-out that I enjoyed an
advantage over A.S. Neill. Where he
took-in troubled older children and
developed his views over many years of
observation, I was able (with the
help
of their mother) to employ his child
rearing philosophy (self-regulation)
from the time my two younger
children were born. The result was a
wonderful parenting experience. It’s
often heard said that raising kids is a
hard job. I’d love to help change that
opinion.
I should note as a point of
interest that my son Brian edited
this book.
Thank you for your interest,
James C. Talbot
|
|
| |
|
