Category: Raising Children

IN DEALING WITH IRAQ, WHAT CAN OUR GOVERNMENT LEARN FROM A BASIC CHILD REARING TECHNIQUE? by Art Smukler, author & psychiatrist

by artsmuklermd, posted in Psychiatry, Raising Children, Self Examination, World events, a psychological view

Children are often willful, out of control and want what they want when they want it. Trying to reason with a two-year-old is pointless. Firm, reasonable limits need to be set. Naturally, the child is enraged, but soon he understands that he can’t run into the street because he might get hit by a car, and he can’t punch his baby brother just because he wants to.

Our position in Iraq is somewhat similar to dealing with a two-year-old who refuses to listen. The US stance is that there must be a coalition government formed with both Sunnis and Shiites. Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki has refused and appears committed to a Shiite Iraqi leadership. What should we do?

The more all of us learn about this ancient Islamic conflict, the more we get how logic won’t prevail. And now Iran and Syria are supporting their new best friend, the Iraqi Shiites, to eliminate the Sunni insurgents. Oh, and aren’t we doing the same!

If reason won’t prevail, we should do what we’d do with a two-year-old. Set limits. Pull our advisors out of Iraq and let the prime minister, or whoever replaces him, do whatever he wants — but without us.

If we only knew how complicated the issue between the Muslim rival factions was, chances are we would have found another solution to the “weapons of mass destruction” other than invading Iraq. But, NOW WE KNOW! Let’s use this knowledge and not get any more soldiers killed or maimed for a cause that just won’t respond to reason.

If people are determined to die for their religious beliefs, the least we can do is stay out of the line of fire. Let’s get our own House (of Representatives and Senate) in order. We have our own out-of-control two-year-olds who won’t listen to reason.

Art Smukler is the award-winning psychiatrist and author of Chasing Backwards, a psychological murder mystery, Skin Dance, a mystery, and The Man with a Microphone in his Ear. All are available as paperbacks and eBooks.

OMG IS CAPTAIN CORPORATE AMERICA ABOUT TO SAVE US AND OUR CHILDREN? by Art Smukler, author & psychiatrist

by artsmuklermd, posted in Childhood Trauma, Psychiatry, Raising Children, Self Examination, World events, a psychological view

General Mills recently had 2 Cheerios ads, one on the Super Bowl, that featured a mixed-race little girl, a white mom and a black dad. When bigots and the religious right attacked General Mills because the ad polluted family values, General Mills stated that they believed in all kinds of families and held firm.

When CVS decided to stop selling cigarettes, no one, except maybe two-pack-a-day addicts, complained. They didn’t have the lung power to walk an extra block to a competitor.

We should all cheer when Captain Corporate America battles bigotry and hypocrisy (What’s more hypocritic than a drug store selling cigarettes?).

The public was bilked out of billions of dollars and thousands of lives when Toyota, GM, RJ Reynolds, Phillip Morris, and various banks and drug companies covered-up lies so we’d keep buying cars, tobacco, mortgages and flawed drugs.

In psychiatry, cover-ups are common. Facing early wounds, abandonment and early trauma are painful. In therapy, repression and denial are common and patients enter long battles to unravel their feelings, actions and dreams; so they can feel better and eliminate their symptoms.

On the other hand, corporations have no excuse. They don’t behave like bandits and killers because they are repressing unconscious ideas. They repress and deny because for years they’ve been able to get away with it. Sociopaths hide behind the corporate mantel and manipulate to get more power and money. Their symptoms occur when they’re caught and have to suffer for their sins — fines and/or jail.

What do General Mills and CVS risk losing? Well, bigots can certainly choose to not eat Cheerios and smokers can choose to get lung cancer and obstructive lung disease from any number of other drug stores.

Personally, I’m going to CVS to buy my next box of cereal.

Dr. Art Smukler is the award-winning writer of Chasing Backwards, a psychological murder mystery, Skin Dance, a mystery, and The Man with a Microphone in his Ear. All are available as paperbacks and eBooks.