Well… I’m not sure how many parents actually get done with the class and are hoping that their child misbehaves sooner rather than later. I do, however, love this mindset. Children are GOING TO misbehave and since we know they’re going to misbehave, why not decide that we’re going to view it as a teaching moment instead of getting all annoyed and angry?
The class I attended was a FREE, six session course taught by Pete Tabor and Joan Tabor who are both teachers at local elementary schools. During the class you watch videos of Jim Fay and Charles Fay, a father and son team, as they give examples and discuss how to use the Love and Logic method with children from birth to six years of age. When you are done watching the video for the day, you complete exercises in your workbook and discuss situations with the whole class. (I haven’t read any of their books, so this review won’t cover them.)
Pete and Joan were great instructors. They did an excellent job of offering real life examples from their home and work lives, and they gave us the opportunity to share our own struggles and triumphs with the whole class. It was inspiring to hear about the successes of other parents in the class. During the class there was free child care for kids ages 3 and up (and potty trained) and free pizza.
I didn’t like all of the ideas from the Love and Logic class (and this is ok!) but I did like these concepts:
- Make parenting fun rather than frantic
- Deliver a strong dose of empathy before giving a consequence – “Oh sweetie”
- Have a one liner handy when your child is upset – “I know”
- It’s ok to walk away to calm down and ok to delay the consequence
- Let them make affordable mistakes
- Give effective choices – “blue or red shirt?”, “carrots or broccoli?”, etc.
- Use enforceable statements – “After we brush your teeth I will read you a book.”
- When they have bad behavior they drain your energy – make them help get your energy back through playing nicely, helping with chores, etc.
If you live in the DC Everest School District, I highly recommend attending one of these classes! It’s an especially great idea to attend while your kids are young so that you can feel more prepared when they do start misbehaving.
The latest classes are listed on this flyer: Love and Logic District Flyer 2018-2019
Check out my Parenting Classes page for more options!