Review of L & L Session # 1 and Check-in

Good morning Moms!
From Session 1, Empathy is the most important skill. Empathy is learned so we can develop it. As I noted in class, empathy CHANGES brain chemistry by soaking up emotion thus preventing fight-or-flight reactions. None of us learn too well from the consequences of our actions when we are "drunk on emotion."

* BY Delivering A STRONG DOSE OF EMPATHY Before Delivering Consequences, we can help our little ones THINK & LEARN from their mistakes. * The goal is to have our kiddies thinking more than we are....even if that means delaying consequences until we're calmer and are able to come up w/an appropriate consequence w/o anger, lectures, etc. I'm curious what momma D came up with for daughter L's scratching outburst / meltdown.

~ Here's to our contributing to more Empathy in the world!! And even getting some back :D ~

What's your empathetic statement?? "I know" is working best for me w/both my son & my hubby. How's your empathetic statement working for you? Is anyone using "I Love you too much to argue? " Notice different results from using empathy vs lectures, anger, warnings, sarcasm.....

Please do a reading or two in workbook or an exercise (I have my workbook in my car so I often read a page or two while sitting in carpool line), listen to your cd's, even if for 5-10 mins, to keep learning & formulating Your gameplan. Think emailing is an effective tool to pause, brainstorm & gain encouragement. So pls keep the emails coming w/progress, mistakes, frustrations, successes, questions, etc.

Thank you for investing in yourselves and your families! Andrea=)

L & L Session #1: "Handling Misbehavior Without Breaking a Sweat"

Greetings Group,
I'm VERY excited to facilitate your 1st Love and Logic Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun! class this Tues Feb 16th @ 7pm. Sounds like you have a perfect group ~ small, supportive & familiar.

The title of session one is "Handling Misbehavior Without Breaking a Sweat." We'll learn how to "Go brain dead." Then softly repeat a single Love and Logic one-liner. And choose an empathetic Love and Logic one-liner that fits your personality. I most often use "I know"; "How Sad", or "What a Bummer" (I know it's so 80's!).

It's Amazing how expressing empathy changes brain chemistry. It SOAKS up emotion allowing the recipient (our child, spouse, friend) to get through the
feeling....instead of becoming defensive, seeking revenge or trying to escape. Anger, lectures, warnings, and sarcasm CREATE fight-or-flight. None of us learn too well from the consequences of our actions when we are "drunk on emotion." Empathy PREVENTS
fight-or-flight.

Some more benefits of delivering empathy Before delivering consequences:
* Empathy makes the child's poor decision the "bad guy" while keeping the adult the "good guy.". * As a result, the child has a harder time blaming the adult for the problem.
* This forces him or her to look inside and to learn from the consequence. Your goal is to get your child in the "thinking mode" before doing anything else.

Please think about one technique you want to learn or a problem you would like to solve (end whining, arguing, having to give repeated warnings, how to handle misbehavior in public, etc). We can discuss at the beg of the class, in between and/or after we've watched the videos & reviewed some of the workbook.

The most successful parents:
* Take good care of themselves
* Set and enforce limits
* Hold their kids accountable for their misbehavior
* Do all of these things in a very a Loving way
* Know that kids are ready to start learning responsibility as soon as they are old enough to spit beets across the table

Most importantly, from this course, you'll learn techniques that will:
* Allow you to discipline your kids without losing their love & respect
* Help you raise respectful & responsible kids
* Up the odds that the teenage years will be happy rather than horrific
* Make parenting Fun & Rewarding!

Thank you 4 making this investment in yourself, your kids, and your family!

Andrea