Airplane Travel with Toddlers: Nine Out-of-the-Box Strategies
Before I had kids, vacation started the moment I sat down on the airplane. That all changed when I started traveling with toddlers. And how! When traveling with toddlers, boarding a flight signals the beginning of the biggest challenge of the trip: trying to confine little people with the need for speed into one small space […]
“Mr. Fisty”: Part 2
This is Part 2; to read Part 1 of “Mr. Fisty,” please click here. After an exasperated parent coaching client of mine found some relief with his brilliant five-step “Mr. Fisty” process, new developments emerged (as they always do with kids) that caused him to use his creativity to come up with even more strategies […]
“Mr.Fisty”: A Proven New Way to Stop the Pre-Schooler Who Hits
An exasperated parent coaching client plopped onto the couch in my office recently and sighed, “How do I get my 4-year-old son to stop hitting?” At the slightest provocation, his son was hauling off and punching other kids at preschool. Needless to say, this did not go over well with teachers or classmates. The dad […]
Improve Your Kiddo’s Bad Sportsmanship in 5 Easy Steps
Seven year-old Elliott is becoming a bad sport at baseball. After his games, he complains about how unfair the ref was, how that throw WAS in, how he really did get that kid out. The ride home from games becomes an open arena for airing every grievance he has with his teammates and with himself. This […]
Success Story: I Didn’t Say “Good Work”
My 3 year old son was struggling with a Buzz Lightyear puzzle. It was one that didn’t stay together well and putting in one piece would dislodge another. He’d get frustrated, but I had just read a Love and Logic article about the gift of giving our kids a chance to struggle. I said “Keep at […]
Disarming Defiance
For parents who deal with children being obstinate, defiant and challenging, here are a few thoughts on power struggles: If we deal with resistance by struggling back, not only will we damage our relationship with our kids and set them up to be rebellious, but we will be very frustrated. It is a child’s JOB […]
Avoid “If-Thens” With Strong-Willed Kids
It seems that just about every family has at least one child who spends most of his time trying to figure out what others want.. so that he can do exactly the opposite. Frustrated by their testy behavior, it’s pretty darn easy to fall into less than effective parenting practices. I hear some of these […]
How Do I Get My Kids To Cooperate?
How can you use the Love and Logic skill of enforceable statements to get kids to cooperate? When kids hear “No,” they hear fighting words. Their defenses come up and the battle starts. So instead of saying “No,” say “Yes” to something else. Say what you’ll do, what you’ll allow, or what you have control over. […]
Some Thoughts on Video, Games, Computer Games, and TV
Over the past two decades, video and computer games have become dramatically more fast-paced, realistic, and stimulating. Not long after their introduction, I began to suspect that these games had the same addictive potential as drugs, alcohol, and gambling. Today, family therapists and researchers have confirmed my fears. Listed below are some tips for helping […]
The Love and Logic Vaccination Plan
Our world is getting more complex and dangerous for kids every day. How do we best protect them so that they will survive? Resist the urge to overprotect! Like vaccinations for physical disease, parents who apply Love and Logic allow their kids to develop decision-making “antibodies” by being exposed to plenty of small temptations, by […]