The Editor, Sir:

This in response to an article by Merylyn Campbell-Flinch.

Dear Ms. Campbell-Flinch:

Thank you so much for a well-balanced article on parenting in yesterday's Jamaica Gleaner online!

You articulately addressed a fundamental (and unfortunately, extremely concrete) misinterpretation of Scripture regarding how to discipline children.

It is very helpful to have a piece like yours point out an essential, but often overlooked, piece of parenting - proactive teaching.

Building foundation

Proactively teaching social and emotional skills to our precious children builds a strong foundation for mature, well-rounded citizens of tomorrow who know what to do, not only what not to do.

Parents have the wonderful opportunity to foster these core building blocks in their children: empathy for others, problem-solving skills, understanding and expressing emotions, decision-making skills, and self-control.

Perhaps, as adults and parents, we might be willing to re-learn (or learn, as the case may be) how to use positive proactive teaching strategies in our parenting.

I suspect that a follow-up piece(s) explaining step-by-step how to foster the development of these social and emotional competencies in children would be of immense benefit to the readership of the Jamaica Gleaner.

I am, etc.,

GAIL M. FERGUSON

PhD, Child Clinical Psychology

gferguson@childrensinstitute.net

Children's Institute

University of Rochester

Rochester, NY 14607