Thursday, January 29, 2015

A Love and Logic Roller Skating Experience

Picture this: each morning you get up to the regular routine.  You make sure the kids have a good breakfast, you attempt to get school work completed and you try to get out the door in time to go to a scheduled event.  All the while you are nagging, stressing, doing things for your children that you shouldn't have to (like dress them) and overall it's a really stressful experience.  Sound familiar? This is the story of my mornings.  Every morning.  Until today.  

Today was a Love and Logic training day.  I was set up and prepared.  I woke as usual and let both boys know that my car would be leaving with the children that were ready and had completed their school work at 9:45.  Any child that wasn't ready should consider how they will pay the babysitter to watch them while I was at skating lessons. 

Then the hard part began.  We went through the morning with me requesting things only once.  I did slip up and ask them to start considering how they would pay the babysitter.  I'd like to cut those reminders out of my vocabulary next week.  I didn't nag.  I had to force myself to breathe deeply and accept that each child will make their own choices this morning and regardless of the choice we will all learn and be happy in the end.  At 9:30, 15 minutes prior to departure the doorbell rang.  Our babysitter entered and sat at the kitchen table.  At this point in the morning I was still uncertain about if any or all children would be staying with the sitter while I enjoyed my morning at skating lessons.  I finished getting ready and amazingly so did the boys.  It was recommended to them that the car was then leaving in 5 minutes and if they didn't want to miss their opportunity that they go ahead and get their seat belts on right away.  I paid the babysitter for the full 2 hours that she could have been at my home and then went to skating with a light and happy heart.  The key for me was to have it planned and arranged that I would pay the babysitter for the 2 hours regardless of if she stayed with my children or if she went home after 15 minutes.  That way I was happy about the outcome regardless of how the cards fell.
What happened at skating was amazing.  The first thing out of EMan's mouth when I first told him we were going skating today was that he does not like skating and will not be joining us.  As the morning unfolded and he decided that he would in fact be joining us he joined the skating group happily.  You see, it was his choice.  And best of all?  Both boys actually skated today!  Rather than spending the majority of the lesson on their hind ends or dragging down a teacher they were skating.  Skating.  Not even "very carefully walking" on skates.  Skating.  

That, my friends, was an enjoyable morning for all.  I'd call it a Love and Logic Training Session win.

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