The objective is always to quell escalating hostilities, while still forcing the child to show respect to others. To further persuade the reader, Omer provides a case example of a child who has benefitted from the 'sit in' technique: an isolated, verbally and physically abusive twelve-year-old who lashed out at his parents, young sister, and schoolmates, and who also showed tendencies of OCD. Omer notes that the sit-in was not immediately used: as always, there was a period of counseling to help the parents work through the issues that had arisen in their relationship, due to the stress of raising the boy, and other outside factors. This was done because it is critical for the success of the sit-in that the parents present a united front and an emotionally healthy front to the difficult child.

The first intervention focused on ensuring the boy behaved respectfully to his sister, and ended with him being physically restrained. However, the sit-ins were repeated, and the boy eventually began...

This dialectic of parental sit-ins with demonstrations of showing respect for the boy eventually created a more livable household. The case study presents a powerful example of success in the way that is detailed, although it is hard not to wonder if all parents would be as stoic as the boy's, or willing to show any positive acknowledgement for an openly violent child.
Omer's method is not simply a glorified version "time out," as he acknowledges some might allege. His nonviolent policy shows respect for the child in a way that makes the response 'you can't make me' meaningless, although further study is required to see if such a complicated concept is really effective, in the long-term, on the behavior of young children.

Works Cited

Omer, Haim. (2001). Helping parents deal with children's acute disciplinary problems without escalation: The principle of nonviolent resistance. Family Process, 40(1),…