ProfNet Wire: Health & Living: Spanking Children

ROUNDUPS

Spanking Children (16 experts)
Banning Underweight Models (continued, 1 expert)

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LEADS

1. Dating: International Flirting Week Begins
2. Health: Health and Beauty Trends for 2007
3. Health: New Treatment for Venous Disease
4. Health: Take Charge of Your Heart Health
5. Health: Pre-Apply Sunscreen and Re-Apply Often
6. Hospitals: Peer Review Calls for Careful Management
7. Retirement: More Older Adults Pursue Post-Retirement Studies

ROUNDUP: Spanking Children

One California lawmaker has introduced a bill that would outlaw spanking with children ages 4 and under. If the bill becomes law, parents could be charged with a misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail or a fine of up to $1,000, making California the first state with such a law. The use of physical punishment to discipline children is already illegal in Austria, Finland, Germany and Sweden. Following are experts in law, parenting and child development who can comment:

**1. LYNNE REEVES GRIFFIN, RN, M.Ed, is the author of the forthcoming book, "Negotiation Generation: Take Back Your Parental Authority Without Punishment!" (Penguin, 2007), and teaches at the Graduate School of Social Work and Family Studies at WHEELOCK COLLEGE: "I'm an advocate of proactive discipline methods that influence behavior, not reactive means of punishment aimed at controlling behavior. Parents rarely get frustrated by behavior that happens once; what raises emotional stakes are the same old mealtime, bedtime, homework problems. Children's behavior is predictable, and if parents can predict challenging behavior, they can prevent it. When parents learn about development and temperament, they can predict, and therefore prevent, predictable behavior better, too." Griffin is a weekly parenting contributor for Boston's Fox 25 Morning News and is a frequent radio and television guest expert. Griffin: info@lynnegriffin.com Phone: +1-781-545-6585 Web site: http://www.LynneGriffin.com (2/9/07)

**2. CARLETON KENDRICK, Ed.M., LCSW, author of "Take Out Your Nose Ring, Honey, We're Going to Grandma's" (Unlimited Publishing LLC), is a licensed family therapist, noted national speaker and social commentator: "Congresswoman Sally Lieber's anti-spanking legislation is well-intentioned but ill-conceived and virtually unenforceable. It's unconscionable to remove parents from the home and incarcerate them because they were caught spanking their children by somebody with a camera phone. That's what Lieber's legislation would allow if a parent were caught spanking their kids a second time. Research overwhelmingly gives spanking low marks as a successful child discipline technique. Spanking teaches kids to fear their parents and the hurt they may inflict upon them. There are many creative, disciplinary options to spanking kids. I hope this legislation revitalizes a national debate regarding our states that still allow schools to hit children, and our domestic violence laws that prohibit spouses hitting one another but allow parents to hit their kids if it's considered a 'reasonable' disciplinary response." Kendrick has been named by Family PC magazine as the best Internet expert on parenting teens. Kendrick: Carletonwk@aol.com: Phone: +1-508-376-9078 (2/9/07)

**3. ANDREW GROGAN-KAYLOR is an assistant professor in the UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN's School of Social Work. His recent findings suggest that "corporal punishment may be part of a parenting style with lesser amounts of positive parenting practices. To reduce the use of physical punishment, it may be beneficial to focus on interventions that teach parents to increase the amount of intellectual stimulation in the home." Grogan-Kaylor: +1-734-615-3369 News Contact: Jared Wadley, jwadley@umich.edu Phone: +1-734- 936-7819 Web site: http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=3121 (2/9/07)

**4. MICHAEL H. POPKIN, Ph.D., author of "Taming the Spirited Child" (Fireside/Simon & Schuster, 2007): "In light of the proposed California legislation on fining and punishing parents who spank their children under the age of three, here are eight good reasons not to spank: It is easy for an enraged parent to cross the line from spanking to abusing. Spanking usually leads to more misbehavior. Spanking models aggressive behavior. Spanking can damage your relationship with your child. Spanking is out of step with the times. Spanking often leaves the parent feeling guilty. If spanking worked, parenting would be easy. There are many more effective methods of discipline." Popkin is best known as the pioneer of video-based parent education with the introduction of The Active Parenting Discussion Program in 1983. Since then, millions of parents have completed his parenting courses, including the best- selling "Active Parenting Now" and "Active Parenting of Teens." A frequent keynote speaker and media guest, Popkin has appeared on hundreds of shows, including "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "The Montel Williams Show," and as a regular parenting expert on CNN. News Contact: Jessica C. Napp, Jessica.napp@simonandschuster.com Phone: +1-212-698-4665 Web site: http://www.activeparenting.com (2/9/07)

**5. MURRAY STRAUS is co-director of the FAMILY RESEARCH LABORATORY and professor of sociology at the UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. He is widely considered the foremost researcher in his field: "Two main objections of opponents to the bill are that spanking is sometimes necessary and the law is an unprecedented example of government interference. These objections are not accurate representations of the scientific evidence on the effectiveness and side effects of spanking. They also are historically inaccurate about government interference in the family. The California proposal has two major problems. First, it applies only to children three and younger. Therefore it has the ironic implication of endorsing the hitting of older children. Second, it would do the very thing it wants parents not to do -- use harsh punishment to correct misbehavior. A better model is the 1979 Swedish no-spanking law, which has no criminal penalty and has proven very effective." News Contact: Lori Wright, lori.wright@unh.edu, Phone +1-603-862-0574 (2/9/07)

**6. KERSTIN POTTER, director of the Early Childhood Education Program at ARCUM COLLEGE in Bryn Mawr, Pa.: "Here are three reasons not to use spanking: 1. It doesn't work. Children will put in a big effort to avoid being caught rather than learn to do the positive behavior. 2. It teaches children the wrong thing. The role modeling teaches: 'If you want to get a message across, hit someone.' 3. It may reinforce 'bad' behavior and become a tool in a power struggle: 'If you want the full attention of an adult, do what irks them until they lose control and hit you.' This puts the child in control of the situation and will make the child want to do it again and again. And of course, it hurts!" Potter: kpotter@harcum.edu Phone: +1-610-526-6115 News Contact: Lisa Mixon, lmixon@harcum.edu Phone: +1-610-526-6148 (2/9/07)

**7. VICKI PANACCIONE, Ph.D., licensed child psychologist and founder of the BETTER PARENTING INSTITUTE: "My passion is to bring joy and fulfillment to the parent/child relationship. Spanking is the antithesis; creating a parent/child relationship based in fear. Spanking teaches kids that physical aggression is an acceptable way to deal with anger, disapproval and frustration. As a child psychologist, I feel that there are far more effective methods of discipline that help children develop self-control without developing aggressive tendencies." Panaccione: drvicki@askdrvicki.com Phone: +1-321-722- 9001 Cell: +1-321-795-9218 Web site: http://www.BetterParentingInstitute.com (2/9/07)

**8. JOAN BRAMSCH is founder of EMPOWEREDPARENT.COM, a parenting Web site that serves families in 88 countries, and author of "Teach Me, I'm Yours: Success for Your Unique Child." She is also a parent, grandparent, writer of both parenting and children's materials, and an educator: "This bill is a mistake. There are already laws against child abuse. A beating and a smack on the backside don't compare. If spanked sans anger, the message is 'You can't act like this!' Not a bad thing, in my opinion. Not every parent knows how. My book can help. Parent fatigue can cause impatience. All parents get tired. Parents today talk too much. The child debates and never learns that unacceptable behavior has consequences. Some children act like stubborn donkeys and parents have to get his attention first." Bramsch: empoweredparenting@earthlink.net Phone: +1-314-638-3404 Web site: http://www.joanbramsch.com (2/9/07)

**9. DR. LINDA PEARSON, a family nurse practitioner and a family psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, has counseled children and their families for over 30 years. She is the author of "The Discipline Miracle: The Clinically Proven System for Raising Happy, Healthy, and Well-Behaved Kids" (AMACOM Books): "Most parents struggle over spanking perhaps more than any other parenting issue. Spanking should never serve as a parent's primary or sole form of discipline. However, to outlaw the generic word or concept of 'spanking' is ridiculous." Pearson is a frequent speaker and writer on behavioral problems and difficult parenting situations. She also has her own advice column, "Ask Dr. Linda: Parenting and Discipline Tips for Families," in the American Journal for Nurse Practitioners. Pearson has very strong views about spanking and about the current discussion about making spanking against the law. News Contact: Irene Majuk, imajuk@amanet.org Phone: +1-212-903-8087 (2/9/07)

**10. ROBERT R. BUTTERWORTH, Ph.D., child psychologist at INTERNATIONAL TRAUMA ASSOCIATES in Los Angeles: "There is a difference between spanking appropriately and corporal punishment, and most parents know this. Laws that try to ban all forms of spanking treat parents like child abusers and do not really help children. The majority of parents do not abuse their children, and this law is not needed." Butterworth: robert@drbutterworth.net Phone: +1-213- 487-7339 (2/9/07)

**11. DR. VIRGINIA SHILLER, a licensed clinical psychologist and author of the book "Rewards for Kids! Ready-to-Use Charts & Activities for Positive Parenting" (American Psychological Association, 2003) [Spanish translation: "Recompensas Para Ninos Por Buen Comportamiento" (Jorge Pinto Books, 2007)]: "Spanking is simply not an effective tool, and has risks of modeling aggressive behavior. Behavior is much better changed by reinforcing the preferred behaviors, modeling good behavior, reasoning with children (when they have the ability), and providing mild consequences for misbehavior. Sometimes distraction is all a toddler needs. The legislation proposes punishments (time in jail or monetary fines) that are too harsh for the 'crime,' may actually hurt children, and, ironically, just like spanking, they do not teach positive ways of behaving. Better to send parents to a parenting class. The proposed legislation might disproportionately punish members of minority groups, and, interestingly, there is research that suggests that the correlates of physical punishment differ among ethnic groups." Shiller has been quoted by writers for Child, Parents, Parenting, Woman's Day, First for Women, Woman's World, People, The New York Times, and Newsday. Shiller: virginia.shiller@yale.edu Phone: +1-203-776-3681 Cell: +1-203-415-7160 Web sites: http://www.rewardsforkids.com and http://www.recompensasparaninos.com (2/9/07)

**12. DR. KRISTY HAGAR, a child psychologist and mother of two, sees patients at CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER DALLAS and can comment on the most appropriate methods of disciplining children: "Spanking, in most cases, is not the best way to discipline a child, and I instead prefer other methods, like time-outs and taking away/providing incentives." News Contact: Jessica Chapman, jessica.chapman@childrens.com Phone: +1-214-456-5318 (2/9/07)

**13. JO ANN BOLTINGHOUSE, a self-esteem educator and author of "YolandaBaby: A Pooch Finds Her Purpose": "I believe that spanking should be banned. It is not an effective way to discipline. It models to children that anger and frustration can be solved by physically hurting someone. Often the physical is accompanied by verbal abuse and again sends the wrong signals of what is appropriate behavior in expressing anger and frustration. What is the answer? The parents must become parents -- not best buddies. They must be the example of proper and appropriate behavior. They must set the rules, determine the consequences and communicate this to the child. Then they must stick to the consequences. If the child grows up knowing they are responsible for their choices, discipline becomes much easier." Boltinghouse can talk about spanking, in addition to many more topics that are prevalent to the children of today, such as building self-esteem, bullying at school and peer pressure. News Contact: Julia Wouk, jwouk@boothmedia.com Phone: +1-760-929-1111 Web site: http://www.yolandababy.com (2/9/07)

**14. MINDY YORK, co-owner of BABY OTTER SWIM SCHOOL in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., works with children every day and speaks to water safety and offering children choices: "When we get them into the water and they learn our rules, they become different kids and the parents offer us money to take us home and help them. The reality is you should never need to raise a hand to a child because it only teaches them these techniques in handling life situations, and then, taking it to their children, it becomes a learned behavior that is passed on. A better solution is to offer choices in the matter at hand and make them pick one, and, of course, either choice works for the parent. Children feel a sense of power and, in retrospect, we can deal with either choice." News Contact: Michelle Tennant, michelle@tennant.org, Phone: +1-828-749-3200 Web site: http://www.babyotterswimschool.presskit247.com (2/9/07)

**15. LISA EARLE MCLEOD, syndicated humor columnist and author of the upcoming "Finding Grace When You Can't Find Clean Underwear," takes a compassionate approach to this topic: "I've got two daughters, and I've been tempted to spank many times, but then I think about how I would feel if my 10- foot-tall boss took me into the copy room and swatted me on the backside with a ruler. The problem with spanking is that you're inclined to do it when you're tired, frustrated and angry, which is the worst time to use physical force. Losing control of yourself is never an effective way to get control of a child. The goal is for them to learn to control themselves, and spanking only makes them feel powerless." News Contact: Michelle Tennant, michelle@tennant.org Phone: +1-828-749-3200. Web site: http://www.lisaearlemcleod.presskit247.com

**16. DR. JANET SQUIRES, a pediatrician and director of the Child Advocacy Center at CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PITTSBURGH, is an excellent resource for reporters looking for an expert on the spanking issue. Squires leads a team of pediatricians at Children's that investigates and evaluates all reports of child abuse, neglect, maltreatment, etc. She has spoken with print and broadcast reporters on this subject and is very comfortable talking with reporters. News Contact: Marc Lukasiak, marc.lukasiak@chp.edu Phone: +1-412- 692-7919 or +1-412-692-5016 (2/9/07)

ROUNDUP: Banning Underweight Models (continued)

We've added the following leads to items previously posted at http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/search.jsp?searchtype=full&option=headlines &criteriadisplay=show&resourceid=3392473:

**1. MARY LAFAYETTE, celebrity stylist, is a well-known New York City-based stylist whose work can be seen in the pages of Vibe, WWD, Essence, Ebony, Teen People and many more. Lafayette has worked on celebrity clients, including Chris Tucker, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Nas, Blu Cantrell and Kimora Lee Simmons: "When I heard that Madrid and Italian fashion designers decided to put a ban on having anorexic models on their runways, I was shocked but happy they took the lead. They are saying they no longer want to condone this image. Is it discrimination to ban grossly underweight models from doing their strut on the catwalk? I would say the ban can be considered discriminatory, but from a long-term, broader perspective, this will send a message to women who suffer from this disorder or women trying to diet who don't need to -- that it is harmful and potentially fatal. Anorexia is an illness that must constantly be addressed, because many women suffer from this disease." News Contact: Tamara Walker, nyprdiva@gmail.com Phone: +1-347-701-8371 Web site: http://www.fashionluvjoenz.com (2/9/07)

_____ LEADS

**1. DATING: INTERNATIONAL FLIRTING WEEK BEGINS. ROBIN GORMAN NEWMAN, love coach, author of "How to Marry a Mensch" and "How to Meet a Mensch in New York," and creator of International Flirting Week (Feb. 13-19), offers tips to singles for the occasion: "Have a prop -- breaking the ice can be tough if you see someone you'd like to meet. A prop can catch someone's eye and be a discussion opener. Make the connection -- make direct eye contact and smile, so it's clear you'd like his/her attention. Project open body language and be approachable. Don't surround yourself with friends. Go for the compliment or chuckle. To break the ice, pay a compliment or make them laugh. Be attentive and focus. Be present in the moment and really listen." Newman: rgnewman@optonline.net Phone: +1-516-773-0911 Web site: http://www.LoveCoach.com (2/9/07)

**2. HEALTH: HEALTH AND BEAUTY TRENDS FOR 2007. JENNIFER HAID is a consumer strategist at ICONOCULTURE, a consumer research firm. She can discuss health and beauty consumer behavior feature topics, including her top health and beauty trends for 2007: "Consumers will be more health-aware and realistic, focusing on prevention, protection and innovation that seamlessly translate into everyday life. The beauty-wellness line continues to blur, as efficacy becomes a price of entry for much-desired longevity." News Contact: Laurie Healy, LHealy@iconoculture.com Phone: +1-612-642-2207 Cell: +1-651-353-2165 Web site: http://www.iconoculture.com (2/9/07)

**3. HEALTH: NEW TREATMENT FOR VENOUS DISEASE. DR. JOSHUA FOX, leading dermatologist and founder of ADVANCED DERMATOLOGY and THE CENTER FOR LASER AND COSMETIC SURGERY in New York: "Almost 80 million Americans are affected by venous disease. Until recently, the only treatments available required major surgery, anesthesia, long recovery times and could cause scarring. Today, thanks to much technological advancement in lasers, we can offer treatments that are more successful and almost painless and that let the patient resume normal activity on the same day. Using light waves to eliminate bulging veins, endovenous lasers can be used to treat a wide range of vein sizes." News Contact: Melissa Chefec, mchefec@optonline.net Phone: +1-203-968-6625 (2/9/07)

**4. HEALTH: TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR HEART HEALTH. TAYLOR GRANT, consumer health advocate and award-winning author of "The 7 Questions That Will Save Your Life," has been educating consumers about their health for more than 15 years. This February, Taylor is encouraging people to take charge of their heart health and offers four simple tips that can be done in five minutes or less that can make a big difference: "Today, you've got to take charge of your heart health. You can't wait for someone else to do it for you. The key is to get informed and get a game plan." As one of the nation's leading consumer health empowerment advocates, Taylor has appeared nationally on more than 250 television and radio programs exploring timely health topics. She has sold more than 2.5 million copies of her health books and also founded two successful businesses developing health programs for multinational corporations, federal, state and local government agencies and major organizations in the health care industry. News Contact: Jennifer Fernandes, jenniferf@carryonpr.com Phone: +1-323-988-4675 Web site: http://www.tayloryourhealth.com (2/9/07)

**5. HEALTH: PRE-APPLY SUNSCREEN AND RE-APPLY OFTEN. CRAIG EICHLER, M.D. is a dermatologist in Naples, Fla., fellow of the AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY and sun damage expert for PreSun Sunscreen. Eichler warns that it only takes as little as 15 minutes for the sun's rays to start damaging the skin, increasing the risk for sunburn, skin cancer and premature skin aging: "For optimum protection, it is imperative that sunscreen be applied at least 20 minutes before sun exposure even begins, so that it has time to absorb into the skin, and then re-applied every 80 minutes, after swimming or when there is excessive sweating. Most people wait until they arrive at the beach or pool to start putting on their sunscreen, but this is often after they unload the car and set up their beach blanket, which can allow a lot of time to pass before sunscreen is first applied and absorbed. On a high UV index day of 7 or more, sunburn can start before you even get settled in." News Contact: Laura Giardina, lgiardina@robinleedyassociates.com Phone: +1-914-241-0086, ext. 20 (2/9/07)

**6. HOSPITALS: PEER REVIEW CALLS FOR CAREFUL MANAGEMENT. STEPHEN F. FINK, attorney at Dallas' THOMPSON & KNIGHT: "A recent appellate court decision in North Texas shows the importance of balancing legal and medical issues when considering action against a hospital employee or physician. Affirming the lower court, the appeals court ruled the hospital's investigative committee did not violate the physician's civil rights. The court's analysis and holdings illustrate the sensitivity a peer review committee and hospital administration must have to the legal implications of their actions." Fink was the lead counsel representing the hospital in the lawsuit. News Contact: Barry Pound, barry@legalpr.com Phone: +1-800-559-4534 (2/9/07)

**7. RETIREMENT: MORE OLDER ADULTS PURSUE POST-RETIREMENT STUDIES. RON MANHEIMER, Ph.D., executive director of the award-winning North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement at the UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE: "Beginning a second career, including starting a business, often requires additional study, and there is also a large segment of older Americans who want to study for the sheer joy of learning. A recent study found that the percentage of seniors 66 to 74 who took at least one adult- education course more than doubled between 1990 and 2000. Planning should examine additional study needed to achieve retirement goals." News Contact: Michael Henry, mhenry@wwlcreative.com Phone: +1-704-926-1364 (2/9/07)