The other night my 7 year old son kept trying to argue about something. I used my new Love and Logic skill of not engaging and calmly replied “I know.”
He ended with “What is wrong with you!!”
I replied again, “I know.”
He yelled “Ugh!” and ran off.
The next morning he comes down to breakfast with a fully loaded backpack, suitcase, and pillow in hand.
“Mom, last night I was going to run away.”
“Oh, I replied, “Thanks for telling me. Let’s talk about it.”
I realized that this was the time to discuss what was bothering him since she was calm and I was calm. We had a great talk and he felt understood, loved and secure and I felt peaceful and logical. It was clear that talking it out in the heat of the argument wasn’t as effective as waiting.
— Stephanie
Kerry Stutzman, MSW