MrHowd.com

Love and Logic tells the interesting story of a child that saved up money received from his grandma. His parents helped him use the value of a dollar to learn the value of good behavior:

Money wasn’t the only thing he saved. He also stored up lots of energy for when Mom and Dad went out. In fact, so much energy that he wore out every babysitter in town.

Mom finally convinced a sitter to work with her to help Junior realize the error of his ways. The deal: If he was good, Mom and Dad would pay for the sitter. If he wasn’t, he paid. This got his attention.

And I bet you can imagine how the next babysitting session went!

Love and Logic suggests using natural consequences like this to teach responsibility. You might be able to find several places you could use this in your family:

• Parents pay for good dentist visits, and children pay for the bad ones if their cavities are caused by not being responsible to brush their teeth.
• Parents pay students to complete some chores (Dave Ramsey says to call this a commission, not an allowance). What if they don’t do the chores? They don’t get paid. Maybe they even pay their parent or sibling to do the chore that they were supposed to do.

What about paying for grades? People disagree about if parents should do this, with some saying paying for grades is like adults getting paid for work. That’s close, but adults are paid for hours worked, not usually on the results of a certain product. So you probably shouldn’t pay for grades.

But if you’ve already started or committed to paying for grades, research shows that if you stop, your student will likely not work as hard for their grades. So you might need to continue for a while, and if you do, this Love and Logic tip might apply. Parents pay for the good grades, and students pay for the bad ones, especially if you have evidence (missing assignments, students not doing their daily homework time, arguments) that they didn’t try their hardest.

Again, paying for grades should not be your top way to motivate your student. If you don’t pay for grades, don’t start now. But if you do, try the tip from this article. And certainly with other areas of your student’s responsibility, look for ways that a student’s greedy little heart for cash can teach them that their actions have consequences.

Originally posted 2016-10-03 06:18:15. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Originally posted 2015-12-19 07:13:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The American College of Pediatricians has a good article about the difference between reacting versus responsding to kids.

Reacting means that you meet your child’s emotionally-charged behavior with your own emotionally-charged reply. Responding, on the other hand, gives your child permission to express their big emotions, ideas and feelings without criticism, shame or guilt.”

Read the rest here.

Originally posted 2016-04-11 19:47:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Some students struggle with getting started on homework or other work at home. It can become a battle of wills or a temptation to issue threats and assert control. Love and Logic suggests looking for ways to share control and give choices, before things get difficult:

• Will you be starting your schoolwork now or in five minutes?
• What do you want to start with? Math or reading?
• Do you want to make a goal of working for 30 minutes before your break, or would 25 minutes be better?
• Will you be doing your work while sitting or standing?
• Do you think it would be best to draft something on pencil or paper… or begin your work directly on the computer?
• Would you like my help or would you prefer working alone?
• Do you want to learn in the kitchen or in the family room?
• Will you be working while keeping your body still, or would you rather see how much you can wiggle while still getting it done?
• Should we start with the hardest part first or the easiest?
• Would you rather help me with chores or get started on your schoolwork?

Read the rest of the article here.

Originally posted 2020-04-20 09:44:47. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

If your children are constantly battling you in the morning over getting ready quick enough, finding their supplies, and getting out the door on their own and without constant reminders, then Love and Logic has some tips that might help:

• Schedule some time to plan and practice when you aren’t in a hurry.
• Take yourself out of the loop as much as possible (the more you have to remind, the less your student is learning to do these things by themselves).
• Focus on getting yourself ready. This is a good way to model how things ought to be.
• Look for ways to give logical consequences, such as a student forgetting their homework or having to go to school in mismatched clothes.
• Create a backup plan for if a student doesn’t get ready on time.

Here’s what Love and Logic has to say about the last point:

Some parents find it wise to have someone secretly on call. If the kids miss the bus, this person can arrive and charge them for taxi service to school.

By the time they reach kindergarten age, our kids… with good training and consistency on our part… can learn to take primary responsibility for getting themselves up and ready to go each and every day. Kids who learn this find it far more natural to assume personal responsibility in other areas of their lives.

You can read the rest of the article here.

Smoother Mornings

Love and Logic Institute, Inc.

Originally posted 2017-03-01 12:53:26. Republished by Blog Post Promoter