Radical Parenting

From rigorous exercise as a form of discipline to lavish rewards for good grades, Dr. Phil’s guests say they’ve unlocked the secret to raising happy children. But are their methods too extreme? Lana buys her teens expensive gifts — $1,000 cooking classes in Italy, million-dollar parties and even penthouse mansions — as bonuses for doing well in school. She says the ritzy rewards motivate her kids to excel in the classroom, but her sister, Natalya, thinks she’s spoiling them. Find out what Dr. Phil thinks about this heated family debate. Then, Sarge and Joy raise their kids under a military-style regimen that bans most television shows, contact with friends, Harry Potter books and even requires the children to do push-ups if they lose a board game. Joy’s half-sister, Shana, worries the children will become sheltered from such a strict upbringing. Are they too radical, or is there a rationale to their extremes? Weigh in! And, Cheryl made national headlines when she allowed her 5-year-old son, Dyson, to wear princess dresses to school. Dr. Phil sits down with the mom to talk about her recently published children’s book, My Princess Boy, and talks about her decision to accept Dyson, no matter what he wears.