As far back as "Father Knows Best," television has been an unintentional
teaching aid for parents. Cesar Milan and dog, Preston
To watch Mike and Carol Brady labor
tirelessly to boost Jan's wobbly self-esteem, or Cliff and Clair
Huxtable corral Denise's rebellious impulses with affection and wisdom,
was to learn how to raise happy, healthy children. After all those hours
in front of the set, you couldn't help but absorb the lessons.
Today's network lineup provides fewer idealized families and no shortage of questionable child-rearing role models (see "Gosselin, Jon"). For every take-charge SuperNanny, there's a Homer Simpson, and who wants to raise a Bart?
It's little wonder, then, that some parents, and even a few child therapists, have found themselves taking mental notes from a television personality known for inspiring discipline, order and devotion: Cesar Millan, otherwise known as the Dog Whisperer.
The suggestion that the Dog Whisperer is also a Child Whisperer of sorts has popped up -- sometimes couched as a joke, but, well, not really -- in parents' forums like blogs, online discussion boards, magazines, Twitter feeds and podcasts. Some parents are starting to take notice.
"When
we started watching his shows, we had intended to apply his advice
toward our dogs," said Amy Twomey, a blogger on parenthood for The Dallas Morning News who is raising three children under 10 with her husband, Matt. "But we realized a lot of ideas can be used on our kids."
Indeed, Mr. Millan's advice has replaced a shelf full of books on how to
tame an unruly child. "It's all the same simple concept: how to be the
pack leader in your own house," she said.
Source: The New York Times | ALEX WILLIAMS
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