In one Bismarck police report, police cited a 7-year-old girl with unruly juvenile after her mother reported the girl refused to get in her car seat.

Former Police Youth Bureau Youthworker Stacey Leben said the mother may have had reasons for calling police at that time, such as a history of misbehavior by the child or a fear of danger for the child.

Dr. Kory Frey, a child-and-adolescent psychiatrist, has a few suggestions for parents in such a situation that be considered before calling in police.

Parents have to be sure they aren't just asking their children to do something - they need to tell them, like, "I need you to get in your car seat now,"he said.

"In general, they should give really clear directions about what the child should do," he said.

If the car trip to be taken is a leisure trip, the excursion should be canceled immediately, which is what Frey calls a "natural consequence."

If the trip is necessary, such as for work, the parents should, in a non-abusive manner, place the child in the car seat and get going. If that doesn't work, relatives, friends or neighbors could be enlisted to watch the child. Parents shouldn't give in and stay home with the child in such circumstances, he said.

"Life needs to go on and sometimes you need to involve other resources - not police," he said.

If the child complies, she should be praised for doing the right thing as positive reinforcement, Frey said.

Kathleen Schmaltz, an North Dakota State University extension agent in Mandan who focuses on parenting resources, said sometimes parents need to talk to their children and find out what is going on when they display unusual behaviors.

Schmaltz said her daughter once didn't want to sit in a car seat, so she worked to find out why. The girl told her it was uncomfortable, and Schmaltz learned it had no padding.

"I wouldn't have wanted to sit three hours in it either,"she said.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@;bismarcktribune.com.)