Child Discipline in African American Families

Book excerpt: In Child Discipline in African American Families, Carla Adikison-Johnson provides a contextual understanding of African American disciplinary practices, giving clinicians, child welfare professionals, and legal professionals a framework to better define what is reasonable and functional when addressing child rearing concerns with African American parents. Highlighting numerous sources, cases, narratives, and data, Adkison-Johnson debunks the theory that spanking is the preferred method of child discipline for African American parents and provides new insights into how African American parents grapple with establishing parenting goals and child behavior expectations in a society that is often hostile toward African American children. Accompanied by the perspectives of a seasoned trial lawyer, the arguments in this book are brought to life, enabling readers to witness how child rearing concerns can play out in a real-world context.