Last night, ABC channel 7 in Los Angeles had a story on Growing Kids
God's Way...my husband (a pastor) was worried that it would portray this in
a way that put a bad slant on Christianity.  It was pretty evident that it
would not be very favorable to GKGW, because there were billboards all over
town advertising "Growing Kids God's Way?" (I like the question mark).
    They started out with a couple who gave it up very quickly because their
baby developed failure to thrive, and they couldn't deal with the lose-lose
situation of guilt from not following "the method" and the guilt from not
following their heart.  They then outlined the method...scheduled feedings,
introducing physical punishment...slapping hands by 5 months, spankings by
18 months, and letting children cry it out.
    They interviewed Dr. Sears who stated how dangerous he believed it was,
and when they showed the whole gamut of books he's written, they
specifically focused on The Complete Book of Christian Parenting for a
couple of seconds, and commenting that there were other methods in line with
Christian beliefs.
    Growing Families International refused to be interviewed, but issued a
well-written press release that of course stated that they were supported by
churches, organizations, pediatricians, and other medical professionals; but
failed to name names.  When they read the press release, they stood outside
GFI, adding emphasis to the fact that GFI had refused to speak with them
(what else is new?)
    They also interviewed Christian Research Institute and mentioned the
article they had published, stating specifically that while GKGW was not a
cult, it did have cultic tendencies.
    The secular On Becoming Baby Wise I and II were mentioned and the covers
were shown, and they stated how the AAP has agreed to study the method, the
first time they have ever agreed to investigate a parenting philosophy.
    I also thought it was interesting that whenever they were quoting from
GFI materials, they would focus on a picture of the Ezzos with 6 or 7
same-aged babies around them, which in a way, looked unnatural (unless you
are the septuplet family), but before they closed with a final statement
from Dr. Sears, they showed a picture of HIS family, and pointed out that he
was a father of eight.  At any rate, it was obvious that by pitting those
two pictures against each other, that there was no clear statement of the
Ezzos qualifications to tell people how to parent, but that Dr. Sears has
ample experience.  The reporter not only was great with the facts, but had a
nice touch with subtle nuances also.
    In all, I was very pleased with how concise and accurate it was.  It had
kind of a generic feel to it, like a lot of the public interest stories that
news stations play, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was being sent around
the country.

Lora Horn, studying to be an LC and MFCC
in Pasadena, CA