Examines the techniques applied by Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU) to correct their children’s misbehavior and suggests ways to overcome barriers to talking to these parents about their child-rearing practices. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 273 Russian Jewish families who had arrived in Israel in a wave of immigration between 1989 and 1998. Violating social norms and behaving disrespectfully were considered most disturbing by parents. In response to children’s misbehavior, parents were asked to suggest 3 alternative approaches in the categories of: (1) nonthreatening verbal measures, such as attempting to convince the children to change their behavior; (2) disciplinary measures, such as setting restrictions or light forms of corporal punishment (slapping); and (3) indirect measures, including the parents changing their own behavior. Rarely did parents suggest verbal threatening or corporal punishment as options. Mental health professionals can rely on these findings to suggest alternative disciplinary approaches that are within the range of practices familiar to these immigrants. Future research on the parent-child dynamic could shed more light on immigrant child-rearing practices and suggest possible therapeutic goals.
