The American Spectator

/p> p> Re: Your hatchet job on Dean. I like abortion. And I love Howard Dean! Though, as a left-winger myself, I consider him a moderate on the American political spectrum. Also, I like the Northeastern “elite” and consider myself a member of that esteemed group of people who appreciate education and culture. br> — B. Larrabee /p>

P.S. Nice writing — you bible-types are really starting to develop language skills.

p> SPANKIE AND THE GANG br> Re: Lawrence Henry’s Things Children (and Experts) Cannot Understand : /p>

I just read Lawrence Henry’s piece on Dr. Straus’ survey and found myself nodding throughout. Straus’ questioning using “psychological aggression” with children under five reminded me of a recent weekend with an old college friend whose children are almost the identical ages as ours (8, 7 and 3). After three days of seeing these “good” kids pull off stuff when their parent’s backs were turned, and the incredibly difficult time they had getting their kids to do something as simple as sit down and eat lunch, we’ve had to duck the numerous invitations to get together since then.

What really irked me was the incessant “Connor, if you don’t stop XXX, we’re going to YYY” without the hint of follow through— ever. I realized it was the kids who had the parents trained. It got so bad I finally asked (taboo of course to question another parent’s approach) my pal if he had ever spanked his kids. I got some “we don’t believe in that” sort of response that Dr. Straus would have been proud of.

p>I then revealed to him that I had—exactly once for each kid. The point is that early on, my kids understood that they can push me over the edge and there will be consequences. The threats from that point on became more, “If you don’t stop XXX, you know I’m not afraid of doing YYY.” I didn’t read it in a book, and I didn’t realize at the time how important it was, but a little “psychological aggression” goes a long way. Especially in Libya and North Korea given how the children running those countries have begun to conform! br> — William H. Stewart br> Boston, Massachusetts /p> p> PLEASANT THOUGHTS br> Re: John Tabin’s Be Careful What You Plead For : /p> p>Regarding wishing for a Democrat. If you ever worry about a Dean presidency, take a little time and revisit his interviews with Russert or any other Sunday pundit show and relax. He is so not ready for prime time that my moderate wife rolled her eyes with every one of his amateurish statements. He won’t stand the glare of even a hundred watt light shining on his pronouncements once the media reports on him in a true race with an opponent called Bush. br> — John Wilson br> Chicago, Illinois /p>