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Is there a good website or book that describes and compares the current leading approaches to disciplining pre-school and school aged children. I realize that there are numerous opinions on the best approach to discipline for children and that they likely have different strengths and weaknesses.
I am looking for a site or book that will allow me to learn about and evaluate the current leading schools of thought.
BabyCenter's "What's Your Discipline Style?" includes a downloadable chart of different discipline philosophies (Positive Discipline, Gentle Discipline, Boundary-Based Discipline, Emotion-Coaching, and Behavior-Modification) with a summary of each one's primary emphasis, techniques, and an example of how it works. At the end of each column are the names of 1-3 books on that particular school of thought so you can learn more.
Here's another article that may broaden your scope: "How They Do It: An Overview of Child Rearing around the World." It gives a brief overview of discipline beliefs and strategies in China, Japan, India, Egypt and Africa, as well as Native American, Latino and European cultures. Here are some excerpts.
China
Discipline practices in China are based on ancient Confucian ethics and the belief that infants arrive from the gods with an inherently good nature that is to be respected.
India
Indian moms lovingly massage their babies daily and carry them close to their bodies. Co-sleeping during the early years is another characteristic of the close mother-infant relationship.... [However], discipline is often strict and children are taught to obey their parents.
Africa
In [Mali, Nigeria, Namibia, Zambia, and Malawi], not only are children highly valued, but being childless is considered the worst fate that can befall a man and a woman. The entire community considers it their responsibility to see that each child, a “gift of God,” is raised appropriately. Elders transmit their cultural values and teach the young, and discipline centers around the values that children are expected to learn.
