Words Matter

“Words Matter!” “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” I love a great movie, don’t you? My favorite this year is The Help. The story takes place in the segregated south and the message shares universal lessons in humanity. The book portrays the life of a group of under-paid, often under-appreciated black women [...]

You WILL Do What I Say

Every mother has said these words or thought these words. “You WILL do what I say!” You ask your daughter to study for a test or clean her room. You think it is a simple request. It should take 30 minutes at the most. She sees it as an invitation to fight. Your daughter may [...]

When Tempers Flare

We all encounter those occasional difficult moments with others, which, if not handled properly, can escalate into an uncomfortable and unproductive confrontation.  But thankfully, there are strategies for peacefully calming the confrontation, and effectively working toward a resolution. 8 Helpful Tips When your partner seems angry or irrational, remember they are the wonderful person you [...]

What Sudoku Can Teach Us About Solving Problems

I love doing Sudoku puzzles—the ones where you need to put numbers in those little squares to get a result? You can find them at your local bookstore, in the newspaper, and now on your iPhone. I do them on my iPad and in my newspaper. I’ve purchased those big books too. In fact, I [...]

Are You Sick and Tired of Having to Compete with Your Child’s Electronic Devices?

  I know a mother and father who eat a lot of cold food – all thanks to certain electronics corporations and their teen’s single-minded obsession with the darn things.   Yes! Nearly every night, these parents beg him to turn off the computer, turn off (or pause) the television, put down the video game [...]

Love and Logic for Adults

Eric was furious. “Look out the window, Sara. Our neighbor is building a fence. I’d swear that it’s on our property. I’m going out to stop that nonsense right now. He has no right to do that!”   “Hold on Eric. Let’s think about this. I’m mad too, but what did we learn last night [...]

When Kids Lie

There are few things that leave parents angrier, or more worried, than when their kids act “truthfulness-challenged.” The good news about lying is that kids do it. What I mean is that all youngsters experiment with bending the truth, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll end up becoming con men, criminals or politicians. That [...]

Will I Spoil My Baby?

Have you ever noticed that parenting “experts” are everywhere? The worst is when new parents bring home infants! Friends, aunts, and co-workers spring from the woodwork with sage advice from the ages. One common piece of advice is, “Let ‘em cry it out when they’re upset. If you pick ‘em up and comfort ‘em, they’ll [...]

Should We Force Children to Apologize?

  Since the dawn of time, parents have felt a tremendous responsibility to make their children apologize to others for their wrongdoings. “Go tell him that you’re sorry” must be one of the most commonly uttered phrases by adults at playgrounds throughout the world.   Here are some Love and Logic thoughts on the subject: [...]

Aren’t There Enough Unpleasant, Rude People in the World?

  If there weren’t enough pleasantness-challenged people in the world, there might be a good reason for creating more of them. But, as you’ve probably noticed, there seem to be plenty.   Mary is doing her part to increase the ratio of world niceness to nastiness. She also knows that nice kids are more likely [...]

Getting the Respect You Deserve

Do your kids wipe their feet on you like a doormat? Do you ever find yourself grieving because you’ve lost the dream of having kind, appreciative kids?   You’re not alone, and there are steps you can take to begin turning things around. • On a daily basis, remind yourself that you deserve to be treated [...]

Some Tips for Helping Anxious Kids

Like nearly all of the challenges faced by parents, anxiety in children has many possible causes and solutions. Fortunately, Love and Logic offers a variety of “experiments” to determine what might work best with each unique child:   Establish or strengthen family routines. With anxious, fearful kids, experiment with having set times for meals, bath [...]

Getting Them to Brush Their Teeth

Have you ever been amazed at how tightly children can clench their teeth together when you try to “help” them brush their teeth? I have! And, yes, I admit it, I’ve tried to brush a strong-willed child’s teeth, for them. Fortunately, I came to my senses before I lost a finger.   While we can’t [...]

You Don’t Trust Me

Does this scenario sound familiar? “The trouble with you is that you just don’t trust me. If you did, you wouldn’t be asking these stupid questions about where I’m going and stuff.” Britney is railing against her mom’s wanting some simple explanations about the party Britney and her friends are going to.   We’ve all [...]

Love and Logic and Autism

I’m often asked if Love and Logic applies to children with autism. For years, we’ve been hearing success stories from parents and professionals indicating the answer to this question:   Yes. While it doesn’t solve all of the child’s problems, Love and Logic really helps.   I’d like to share a relevant and much unexpected [...]

Childhood Lying

A dad got a call from his son’s teacher, “Mr. Jenkins, you’ve got to do something about Travis. He’s been calling other kids names during recess and it’s causing a lot of trouble. I think you need to have a talk with him.”   “Well, Mrs. Alexander, are you sure? Have you seen him doing [...]

Rude Kids: Some Thoughts to Ponder

Do your friends, neighbors, relatives, or coworkers have rude kids? I’ve always been amazed at how many of us know others who’ve allowed their kids to become snotty. Of course, rudely behaved kids never live under our roofs. But, just in case you run into someone with a politeness-challenged youngster, here are some tips you [...]

Easing Separation Anxiety

I am often asked, “How do I help my child feel less anxious about going to daycare, preschool or the babysitter?” If you have kids, the odds are pretty high that you’ve pondered this question and wondered what to do. Listed below are some quick tips: • Remember that kids take their emotional cues from the [...]

Teaching Kids to Wait

Have you ever met an impatient adult who demanded to be served without ever having to wait? As a teenager and young adult, I worked a few restaurant jobs where I really got to see the long-term results of poor parenting in some of our impatient patrons. Years later as a psychologist, I met many [...]

Touring a Whinery: Tips for Putting an End to Whining

Unlike fine wine, whining does not become more pleasant with age. Nope. If you’ve ever been on a whinery tour, or spent time around a really whiney kid, you know this!   Just the other day my wife and I went on one of these tours, not through the Napa valley, but in our very [...]

Next Page »