Love and Logic

Love and Logic was recommended to me many years ago by a Social Worker on my children’s therapy team.

I was reminded of this series of books when reading a blog – Life on the “J” Train, http://lifeonthejtrain.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/lets-call-this-one-cookie/ – She said she needed some sort of parenting manual. I remember throwing away or giving away the manuals that were meant for “normal” children, since all of mine were in special education.

Love and Logic meant letting logical consequences occur.

So when our youngest daughter was causing everyone to be late for school morning after morning, I told her that it was obvious that she needed more time to get ready for school. So every morning that we were late getting out of the door due to her slow movements, I told her she would be getting up fifteen minutes earlier than everyone else. She ended up getting up an hour earlier by the time it began to make sense to her.

Sometimes it meant appealing to Will’s sense of logic rather than arguing, cajoling, pleading, or getting mad when he didn’t see the point of taking a shower before school. One morning I said to Will, “You know, civilized people take showers every day.” It made sense to him at just the moment. It was a moment of inspiration out of the blue.

We went to church more than once without shoes, or with a child in pajamas.

I recommend this book to other parents of kids with special needs. It didn’t work all the time. Love and Logic was one of many strategies we employed in raising our kids.