{"id":6522,"date":"2011-07-18T20:23:50","date_gmt":"2011-07-19T02:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thepickyapple.com\/blog\/?p=6522"},"modified":"2011-07-18T20:39:08","modified_gmt":"2011-07-19T02:39:08","slug":"love-and-logic-magic-for-early-childhood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thepickyapple.com\/blog\/2011\/07\/18\/love-and-logic-magic-for-early-childhood\/","title":{"rendered":"Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve read many MANY<\/em> parenting books over the last 4 or 5 years, but few have really resonated with me as much as Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood<\/a>, by Jim and Charles Fay.<\/p>\n

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This is SUCH an amazing book!\u00c2\u00a0 The principles are so simple and I’ve actually looked forward<\/em> to opportunities when The Littlest Apple was acting up so I could apply a little Love and Logic Magic.\u00c2\u00a0 I’ve jumped in wholeheartedly with this approach!\u00c2\u00a0 I’m trying to convince The Picky Apple to read this book too so we’re on the same page.<\/p>\n

I wanted to share a success story with you….<\/p>\n

The book is all about helping children to solve their own problems and encouraging their independence while lending an empathetic ear.\u00c2\u00a0 Here’s how I put this in to action recently:<\/p>\n

The Littlest Apple found a pen and wrote all over<\/em> the bottom of our couch. (This is not the first time this has happened.)\u00c2\u00a0 In the past, I probably would have yelled, or sent him to time out, or gotten angry.\u00c2\u00a0 Here’s how I handled it this time with a little Love and Logic Magic.<\/p>\n

Me: “Uh oh!\u00c2\u00a0 That’s a pretty big mess you made on the couch.\u00c2\u00a0 How are you going to clean that up?”<\/p>\n

The Littlest Apple: “With a towel?”<\/p>\n

Me: “Hmmm.\u00c2\u00a0 I’m not sure a towel will work.\u00c2\u00a0 Towels are better for spills.\u00c2\u00a0 Any other ideas?”<\/p>\n

The Littlest Apple: “Some spray (cleaner)?”<\/p>\n

Me: “I’m not sure the spray cleaner is safe to use on the couch.\u00c2\u00a0 Any other ideas?”<\/p>\n

The Littlest Apple: “Call the carpet cleaner man?”<\/p>\n

Me: “Well, he cleans carpets, but maybe there is a man who can come clean the couch…”<\/p>\n

The Littlest Apple: “Ok!\u00c2\u00a0 Let’s call him!”<\/p>\n

Me: “How are you planning to pay him?”<\/p>\n

The Littlest Apple: “I don’t know”<\/p>\n

Me: “Do you have any money?”<\/p>\n

The Littlest Apple (checks his pockets): “Um, no.”<\/p>\n

Me: “Well that’s a problem.\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe you can earn some money to pay to have the couch cleaned.\u00c2\u00a0 Do you want me to give you some chores to do around the house so that you can earn money for this?”<\/p>\n

The Littlest Apple: “Yeah!!”<\/p>\n

He cleaned up his room, dusted most of the house, and he swept the kitchen the floor.\u00c2\u00a0 The real kicker there (and probably the hardest part for him ) was that he had to move 4 chairs and 3 barstools out of the way before he swept and replace them after he was done.\u00c2\u00a0 I showed him how to do each task, but I didn’t worry too much about how well the job was being done.<\/p>\n

After he had completed his chores, I gave him some money from my wallet ($8).\u00c2\u00a0 Then I asked him how much he thought it might cost to clean the couch.\u00c2\u00a0 We agreed that it would cost about $8.\u00c2\u00a0 So he gave the money right back to me.\u00c2\u00a0 We agreed that I would try first to clean the couch and if that didn’t work, I would call the couch cleaner guy.<\/p>\n

PS.\u00c2\u00a0 Rubbing alcohol works great for getting ink stains out of couches…..<\/em><\/p>\n

I was so pleased with how this whole scenario played out, that I kept my cool, and I felt like I really got through to The Littlest Apple.<\/p>\n

So that’s my big success story. We’ve also had some small victories in other areas too, using Love and Logic…<\/p>\n