Author to present discipline tips tofrustrated parents

By Candice Leone

cleone@gannett.com

Dr. Larry Koenig used to have trouble keeping his five young kids from yelling and screaming at each other. So he developed a system of rules and privileges as a way to help keep them under control.

"They were good kids who were driving (my wife and I) crazy fighting and bickering," said Koenig, a former family therapist. "We were tired of telling them to stop fighting, so we started using this very simple system to get them to do what they were supposed to do."

The system, which Koenig termed the "Smart Discipline" system, worked -- and it worked well. So well, in fact, he wrote a book about it and travels around the country giving frazzled parents tips on how to use the program with their children. The system also has been featured on PBS and NPR and in Parents and People magazines.

"I started teaching people about it in my practice, then I started doing seminars for schools, churches, hospitals, etc., and now I do about 500 seminars a year all over the country," he said.

Local parents struggling to find a solution to their bickering kids can learn about the system firsthand Thursday night when Koenig makes a stop to share his wisdom at Noel Memorial United Methodist Church. The seminar, which lasts from 7 to 9 p.m., will educate parents on the Smart Discipline system and how to instill positive beliefs in their children at an early age.

While the system usually takes about a week to start seeing results for average kids, in some cases, parents can tell a difference in children's behavior after just days, said Koenig.

"The system works so well and is so popular because it's based on adult society," he said. "When you go into work on the first day of a new job, someone gives you a manual and says, 'Here's the rules and what you do and here's the consequences if you break the rules.' That's how the Smart Discipline system works. It shows parents how to set up the rules and how to discipline. It's a very positive system, and it's simple, that's the thing."

The simple system "works wonders" on kids from as young as 3 years old to teenagers, Koenig said. Activities such as watching TV, playing video games, going outside to play, or even driving privileges can be used as tools to inspire children to behave.

"(The system) is not harsh. Younger kids get their privileges back the next day, and older kids get them back the next Monday" if the rules are broken, he said.

Koenig said the Smart Discipline system can be used in a variety of settings, including the classroom. After his first book was published, Koenig wrote "Smart Discipline for the Classroom" to help teachers fashion the system to help them keep students under control.

"The system is simple and it works," he said. "It gets kids to cooperate without you having to yell and scream at them."

©The Shreveport Times
June 13, 2005