Laura Markham

Markham holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from Columbia and runs Aha! Parenting, where the books, courses and coaching all live. Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids argues that the adult's own regulation comes first, that punishment and time-outs damage the connection which makes cooperation possible, and that most discipline problems are really problems of relationship. The approach draws on attachment research and appeals to parents who found conventional behaviour charts unpleasant to use. It asks a great deal of the adult, which critics point out is easier to prescribe than to sustain.