"Have you been invoking Obama discipline in your house?"

Never gave it a thought. Is there any verification (not dumba$s interviews) of what "Obama discipline" really is?

Not at all, I think its just called discipline, period. My kids make their own beds, clean their own rooms and bathroom and are generally accountable as part of our family. I think the Obamas set a great example, but I also think lots of parents have been doing what they are doing for a long time.

It's about time that parents in this country have a mature adult to model good parenting skills! Professionally, I work with parents of young children daily and have been appalled to see children as young as 2 and 3 hitting and kicking their parents when they are told "no" while older children mouth profanity. If "Obama discipline" means children will be following directions when they are given, picking up after themselves, eating what's served, saying "yes sir/no sir," watching only one hour of TV each day and going to bed at 8:30 PM, I say it's long overdue!

It's about time that parents in this country have a mature adult to model good parenting skills!

Posted by: 78coog | December 15, 2008 7:39 AM | Report abuse

Where's the evidence that BO has good parenting skills?

Its sad that parents cant provide a role model for their children to make them want to be productive members of society.

Having lived in Africa for several years, I can tell you that its not Barack making a difference, its the parent taking a more active role in their child's lives.

Stop giving Barack credit where it definitely isn't due. This is a prime example of creating a story to fit the goal of propping up someone without cause.

Worse blog ever!

No. I thought Brown's story was frivolous.

Parental involvement makes the difference and Barack Obama is no more a perfect role model than anyone else. There was a deep string of sexism running from his campaign surrogates toward Hillary Clinton--none of which he shut down or voiced a strong disapproval of. I'd hardly consider that behavior worth modeling from the parent of 2 daughters.

What a sappy topic. Is it a satire?

"...Right now, in these pre-Inauguration days, Barack Obama is the gold-standard third-party make-your-children-behave example. After all, at home, kids let loose. They may listen to teachers, principals or coaches. But at home? Yeah, right. Home can be the place to talk back, not listen, act wild and try to avoid chores."

The above things happen in homes where the kids don't respect their parents. You might as well get yourself a clown suit, Stacey.

I think any example of parenting, like the Obamas, that demonstrates a balanced mixed of love and discipline is a good thing. I am offended your use of the word "inflicted".

Parents should be their children's primary role model. Anybody else is secondary. And kids need to learn that no person is perfect; we're all imperfect beings trying to do the best we can.

It's certainly fine to point out positive traits of others for children to emulate, but no person is perfect, and you have to make sure kids understand that. There's nothing wrong with pointing out positive characteristics you think Obama displays, but be ready to explain his shortcomings.

Be ready to explain to your kids that Obama still occasionally smokes. He's not always positive; he's gone negative on multiple occasions throughout his career. Next time that happens, be ready to explain that.

I remember as a child reading books about JFK that held him up as a deity. Imagine my shock later on to discover that he was a philanderer whose family money came from bootlegging and whose election owed as much to Chicago machine politics and vote fraud as it did to his youth and boyish charm.

It's best to help your kids understand the truth.

I think you have to look at the bigger picture. The families that were interviewed were African American. Has there EVER been a black role model that did anything OTHER than slap hoe's in a rap video or play basket ball? It has been a long sung lament in the black community. Why do you think the Cosby Show was so popular? It showed a black doctor and a black lawyer who were (gasp) married!

In a society where 6 in 10 African American children are born out of wedlock, the Obamas ARE role models. They go against the norm (broken families, father in jail or otherwise absent, or works a low paying, blue collar job). It might be normal for you to see people around you who are "working professionals", but not in the black community.

For so long, americans had lost hope. For african americans, they had lost hope that the "dream" MLK had spoken of would never come. Would african americans ever break the cyle of poverty? Why bother to study in school when every last person around you is either broke, stealing, cheating, lying, getting pregnant, selling crack, sleeping with someone elses wife, and being "successfull" working at a check out counter even though they never graduated from high school?

So yes, the Obamas for some people ARE role models, but as you point out, they aren't the only ones. But I'd be hard pressed to find a black family that's been married together for nearly 20 years, and where their father is one of the most influential and powerful men in the world. How many white, Indian, or asian families can say that (hint, alot!)?

I am one of the few black executives at my place of work. I am surprised that there are so few...I don't think I did anything different or special. In some ways, I made smarter choices (ie, didn't get pregnant in high school, finished college, got my masters degree, etc), but I guess these things are taken for granted in other ethnic communities. Not so in the black community.

My contemporaries were mostly white; I did what my contemporaries did. But if your contemporaries are high school drop outs and mom's at age 17, why on earth would one think they are so special as to do anything different? Most people want to fit in and go where they think they belong......so even though I didn't do anything "special" (in my mind) to get where I am today, in the black community, I'm a role model. I'm no MLK, but I guess I just have to do my best to live up to the hype......I am imperfect, too.

Anyway, we're not past the day and age where color doesn't matter, but it is fast approaching. So, let us all look for role models, GOOD role models, where we can find them.

I'm no MLK, but I guess I just have to do my best to live up to the hype......I am imperfect, too.

Posted by: changingfaces | December 15, 2008 10:01 AM | Report abuse

MLK!!!!!! Another big time philanderer??

I'm no MLK, but I guess I just have to do my best to live up to the hype......I am imperfect, too.

Posted by: changingfaces | December 15, 2008 10:01 AM | Report abuse

MLK!!!!!! Another big time philanderer??

Posted by: jezebel3 | December 15, 2008 10:08 AM | Report abuse

I believe it's safe to say that some of our best leaders had a less than perfect private life.

Oh, so belittling others is a good trait ('How many of you know a plumber making $250k a year?'
He said that as if a plumber should never aspire to make that much money - they are only a lowly plumber, and should just be happy that they are a plumber. He said a few more of these along the campaign trail, but I can't remember them this moment. This one line really rubbed me the wrong way).

I mostly agree with what changingfaces writes; my caution is just that there's a difference between using someone as a role model for specific characteristics, and elevating that person to some much more exalted level. Especially a politician. Please, I've had my fill of cults of personality developing around leaders, regardless of political party.

But this comment from changingfaces did leap out at me:

"But I'd be hard pressed to find a black family that's been married together for nearly 20 years, and where their father is one of the most influential and powerful men in the world. How many white, Indian, or asian families can say that (hint, alot!)?"

How many white families can say that their 'father' is one of the most powerful men in the world? Darned few. Almost zero, in fact. Certainly no one in my family has ever been one of the most powerful men in the world. :-)

"I mostly agree with what changingfaces writes"

Oh, do you now? Chuckle. If your experience with black people is that most of them don't succeed and slap hoes in rap videos, then you need to get out more.

As for changingfaces: I am a professional, and I have three degrees. My siblings all had some sort of college education. My mother went to college. My dad was a military man and kept a job; he preferred the trades. My parents are divorced but my father was around, he didn't disappear. I know many intact black families. They are not a rarity. The beauty of the Cosby Show is not that those families didn't exist, but that there was a positive portrayal on television that wasn't the same old jacked-up stereotypes about black people. You know -- the stereotypes like the ones you're pushing today.

I've known and have been in contact with many a black professional. No, they weren't all executives or lawyers or doctors. But professionals comprise more than just those careers, yes?

And no, not all or even most of the black community is hung up on or full of worship over rap videos and ghetto or street lifestyle. We are not monolithic. Sorry you don't see many executives around you and you apparently believe that this is somehow the failing only of black people an their poor choices (and not also the failing of the white people who would fight to keep them out).

I have an answer for you regarding this question:

"Why bother to study in school when every last person around you is either broke, stealing, cheating, lying, getting pregnant, selling crack, sleeping with someone elses wife, and being "successfull" working at a check out counter even though they never graduated from high school? "

Um, because every last person around me was NOT doing all those things. And I've lived in a variety of areas, from the suburbs to the ghetto. People fail to study in school becuase for whatever reason, they've lost hope or they never had it. Poor choices also comes from a lack of or lost hope.

And working a checkout counter is at least an honest job. It's better than not working at all and perpetuating more stereotypes.

How negative you are, and how unhappy you must be in your own skin.

"The beauty of the Cosby Show is not that those families didn't exist, but that there was a positive portrayal on television that wasn't the same old jacked-up stereotypes about black people. You know -- the stereotypes like the ones you're pushing today"

LOL!! Cosby cheated on his wife!!!!

theoriginalmomof2 - okay, re-reading my simplistic comment re: changingfaces' comment, it didn't say what I meant, and I'll apologize to anyone who took it the wrong way.

What I have seen (in the distant past - I'm older than dirt, you know) is way too much peer pressure dragging down African-American students who tried to succeed academically. One of my high schools was majority black and there were a large number of talented black students, yet most never got the push or support to excel in college - only a few. (Not that there were all that many stars among the white students, either, but there seemed to be more academic support for them.)

(That high school is only too happy to brag about the guy who plays for the Knicks and the guy who plays for the Cubs, but you don't hear much about doctors or teachers or...)

In my current career, there are far too few African-American engineers. According to the Taulbee Survey of Comp Sci and Comp Eng programs (see http://www.cra.org/CRN/articles/may08/taulbee.html) African-Americans earn only 3.6% of Comp Sci/Comp Eng Bachelor's Degrees; only 2.0% of Master's Degress, and only 1.2% of PhDs. Pretty dismal numbers.

LOL!! Cosby cheated on his wife!!!!

Posted by: jezebel3 | December 15, 2008 2:00 PM | Report abuse

But Cliff Huxtable didn't! ;>

Actually Changingfaces you are merely a normal person doing what millions of others do and DON'T do. There is such a thing as personal accountability and if people want to drop out of school, do crime and father children left and right, life gives them what they deserve.....Nothing.

I must admit, I'm kind of perturbed by this topic. Why wouldn't you assume people already had "Obama-like" parenting styles already in effect? I certainly do. I guess I can look at the Obamas for validation but it simply wasn't necessary. Also, your comment about how kids can act differently at home versus school...um, no. Mine are taught to act like they have sense regardless of where they are. Perhaps I'm just naive to expect that people's kids should have already been making their own beds. While I'm glad to have him as a role model to be able to say look how poised his children are, I can't help but be aggravated when I hear the comments about they're so well behaved. As opposed to what? Running in circles like animals?

I must agree with theoriginalmomof2 -- black, long-term married couples is really not a rarity. They abound in my family and in my husband's - his parents have been together over 20 years and his father is one of the best role models I could have my children look up to. That's what I am USED to -- not the hoe slapping or drugs or jobless or other lamentations you mention. The majority of my friends and acquaintances can say the same.

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