She advised my wife, Alice, and me to subsume our individuality; create a united front to raise our kids. We did that for a few days.<\/p>\n
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Alice often quoted Sylvia Rimm — whenever Alice wasn\u2019t quoting Freud, Spock, Leach or Brazelton. Alice wanted our kids to gain a \u201csense of mastery\u201d — skills, basically. For instance, a trip to Disney World was garbage, according to Alice, because the kids wouldn\u2019t learn anything.<\/p>\n
Alice was<\/strong><\/span> overruled; <\/strong>we went to Disney World anyhow.\u00a0 The kids loved Figment, a Disney character, and went ape for Miss Piggy. And don’t forget the Ninja Turtles. At Epcot the kids spent time on the floor at the Moroccan restaurant, wrestling.<\/p>\n Good times. Let ’em roll.<\/p>\n Our children took many lessons — ping pong, gymnastics, Hebrew, accordion. We didn’t allow much TV — mostly Mr. <\/em> Rogers <\/em>and The Simpsons<\/em>. (When our kids grew up and moved out, they watched every show from the past 40 years.)<\/p>\n I liked Bettelheim’s book A Good Enough Parent.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 I liked the title.<\/p>\n My then-teenage son took my car to the SAT exam.\u00a0 I needed the car because my band equipment was in the trunk, and I had a gig! I took my wife’s car to the SAT testing site and swore loudly at my son in the parking lot. An adult, overhearing me, said, \u201cHey, ease up!\u201d<\/p>\n Was I<\/strong><\/span> out of line? <\/strong>Ask Bettelheim, the expert.<\/span><\/p>\n Where is Sylvia Rimm?\u00a0 Also, where is Eleanor Weisberger \u2013- another Cleveland child therapist. I think she’s dead.\u00a0 [Wrong.\u00a0 She’s 93.]\u00a0 What about child expert Susan Glaser? [She’s around.] Does every Jewish woman in Cleveland dispense child rearing advice?<\/p>\n I just Googled “Sylvia Rimm” . . .<\/p>\n Dr. Rimm is a psychologist, director of Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio . . . Dr. Rimm draws experience and inspiration from her wonderful husband; her very successful children: 2 daughters and 2 sons, and their spouses; and 9 vivacious grandchildren.<\/p>\n Rimm shot: her very successful children<\/em>.<\/p>\n We want Bettelheim!\u00a0 Bruno lied, beat up kids, and had a foul temper. He made the rest of us look good!<\/p>\n —<\/span>
\nI wrote “Taxi Driver<\/span><\/a>.”<\/span> Check the story out, from today’s CoolCleve.<\/span><\/p>\n
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