Dobson’s parenting model assumed children are naturally sinful and defiant

Evidence

Whereas Dr. Spock promoted a nurturing approach to parenthood, advising parents to trust their instincts and treat their children with affection and leniency, Dobson saw children as naturally sinful creatures, inclined toward defiance and rebellion. — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 184

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes the theological anthropology (‘sinful children’) underpinning militant-masculinity parenting — part of the apparatus that made authoritarian discipline feel theologically grounded.