James Dobson

===Views on discipline of children===

In his book ''Dare to Discipline'', Dobson advocates the [[spanking]] of children as young as fifteen months and up to eight years old when they misbehave. In Dobson's opinion, parents must uphold their authority and do so consistently: "When you are defiantly challenged, win decisively."<ref name=DTD /> In ''The Strong-Willed Child'', Dobson draws an analogy between the defiance of a family pet and that of a small child, and concludes that "just as surely as a dog will occasionally challenge the authority of his leaders, so will a little child—only more so."{{sfn|Dobson|1978|p=6}}

Dobson says corporal punishment should end with the child asking for forgiveness and receiving a hug.{{sfn|Ridgely|2016|p=36}} After a spanking is a good time to have a "heart to heart" talk with a child, according to Dobson: "After the emotional ventilation, the child will often want to crumple at the breast of his parent" which provides an opportunity to re-bond and express love to the child.{{sfn|Ridgely|2016|p=64}}

''The Strong-Willed Child'' says that if authority is portrayed correctly to a child, the child will understand how to interact with other authority figures:

{{blockquote|By learning to yield to the loving authority ... of his parents, a child learns to submit to other forms of authority which will confront him later in his life—his teachers, school principal, police, neighbors and employers.{{sfn|Dobson|1978|p=235}} }}

If allowed to challenge parental authority, Dobson says, children would challenge God's authority when they grew older. Hence, rebellion must be punished to protect the child's [[Salvation in Christianity|salvation]]. Believing that "pain is a marvelous purifier" Dobson recommended corporal punishment as the most effective way to keep the child subordinate to adults. The parent should model both [[divine mercy]] and [[Divine retribution|wrath]] to prepare the [[Original sin|inherently sinful]] child for a relationship with God.{{sfn|Ridgely|2016|p=59,61}} Dobson warned of the dire consequences of failing to discipline one's children: "[[Eli (biblical figure) |Eli, the priest]], permitted his sons to desecrate the temple. All three were put to death."{{sfn|Ridgely|2016|p=58}}

He warns against "harsh spanking" because "It is not necessary to beat the child into submission; a little bit of pain goes a long way for a young child. However, the spanking should be of sufficient magnitude to cause the child to cry genuinely."<ref name=DTD>*{{cite book |last=Dobson |first=James C. |title=Dare to Discipline |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_0553127098 |url-access=registration |date=February 1977 |publisher=Bantam |isbn=0-553-22841-2 |page=23 }}</ref> In a 1997 book, he warns that "discipline must not be harsh and destructive to the child's spirit."<ref>{{cite book |first=James C. |last=Dobson |year=1997 |title=Solid Answers: America's foremost family counselor responds to tough questions facing today's families |publisher=Tyndale House Publishers |location=Wheaton, Illinois |page=130 |isbn=9780842306232 |url=https://archive.org/details/solidanswersamer00dobs/page/130/}}</ref> Dobson considers disciplining children to be a necessary but unpleasant part of raising children that should only be carried out by qualified parents:

{{blockquote|Anyone who has ever [[child abuse|abused]] a child—or has ever felt himself losing control during a spanking—should not expose the child to that tragedy. Anyone who has a violent temper that at times becomes unmanageable should not use that approach. Anyone who secretly 'enjoys' the administration of corporal punishment should not be the one to implement it.<ref name=ffcorporal>{{cite web |url=http://www.uexpress.com/focusonthefamily/?uc_full_date=20041121 |title=Good-Natured Child Needs His Share of Parents' Attention |first=James |last=Dobson |date=2004-11-21 |publisher=Focus on the Family |access-date=2008-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612122328/http://www.uexpress.com/focusonthefamily/?uc_full_date=20041121 |archive-date=2008-06-12 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}

When asked "How long do you think a child should be allowed to cry after being punished? Is there a limit?" Dobson responded:

{{blockquote|Yes, I believe there should be a limit. As long as the tears represent a genuine release of emotion, they should be permitted to fall. But crying quickly changes from inner sobbing to an expression of protest ... Real crying usually lasts two minutes or less but may continue for five. After that point, the child is merely complaining, and the change can be recognized in the tone and intensity of his voice. I would require him to stop the protest crying, usually by offering him a little more of whatever caused the original tears. In younger children, crying can easily be stopped by getting them interested in something else.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.troubledwith.com/stellent/groups/public/%5C@fotf_troubledwith/documents/articles/twi_012701.cfm?channel=Parenting%20Children&topic=Discipline&sssct=Questions%20and%20Answers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051212215944/http://www.troubledwith.com/stellent/groups/public/\@fotf_troubledwith/documents/articles/twi_012701.cfm?channel=Parenting%20Children&topic=Discipline&sssct=Questions%20and%20Answers |url-status=dead |archive-date=2005-12-12 |title=Discipline problems |access-date=2008-05-04}}</ref>}}

Sociologists John Bartkowski and Christopher Ellison have stated that Dobson's views "diverge sharply from those recommended by contemporary mainstream experts" and are not based on any sort of [[Scientific method|empirical testing]], but rather are nothing more than expressions of his religious doctrines of "biblical literalism and 'authority-mindedness.{{'"}}<ref>{{cite journal |title=Divergent Models of Childrearing in Popular Manuals: Conservative Protestants vs. the Mainstream Experts |year=1995 |journal=Sociology of Religion |pages=21–34 |volume=56 |issue=1 |last1=Bartkowski |first1=John P. |last2=Ellison |first2=Christopher G. |doi=10.2307/3712036|jstor=3712036 }}</ref> In the 1980s [[Penelope Leach]] wrote that Dobson's approach is ineffective because, rather than establishing parental authority, spanking only communicates parental frustration and weakness.{{sfn|Ridgely|2016|p=62}}

Although childrearing experts have discredited corporal punishment, Dobson has not moderated his view. In 2015 he wrote that, when spanking fails to make a child obey, the problem may be that the parent is not hitting hard enough or frequently enough.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.drjamesdobson.org/blogs/5-reasons-why-spanking-fails |title=5 Reasons Why Spanking Fails |date=November 9, 2015 |first=James |last=Dobson |website=Dr. James Dobson }}</ref>