About

HIGH FIVE parenting

As a mother of two boys, I have the opportunity to put
Love and Logic® into practice every day. Love and Logic®
has given my husband and me simple, effective techniques
to use as we strive to discipline or children in loving ways.
However, I am intrigued by this program because it doesn’t
just focus on discipline and consequences. It’s about how
we can interact with our children in meaningful ways, so
that we can help them develop into confident, capable and
compassionate people.

The inspiration. After graduating from Southern
Methodist University, I was a Teach for America corp
member, where I taught ninth grade English at a high
school located about 20 miles from the border of Mexico.
Many of my students had given up on themselves, had little
self-confidence and didn’t believe in the power of their
own voice. My goal was to help these students discover
their own unique talents and abilities, and in turn, build their
self-concept.

When I became a mother, I knew I had an opportunity to
lay this foundation with my children at an early age. I felt
this was my duty as a parent. I also knew this would require
guidance. That’s when my mother handed me a copy of
Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood by Jim Fay and
Charles Fay, Ph.D. The first few pages grabbed my attention.
I couldn’t wait to try the techniques!

The FUN begins. At the time I began reading the book, Jackson was 15 months old. One afternoon, he toddled to the edge of the driveway, threw a ball in the street, then looked at me with that sneaky, “See what I did, what are you going to do?” grin.

I paused. I recalled what I read. I didn’t warn him. I didn’t lecture him. I didn’t threaten him. I didn’t even say, “No!” Instead, as I retrieved the ball from the street I said, “Oh man. All gone,” and put the ball away. To this day he has not thrown a ball into the street again. At 15 months, my son learned about cause and effect because I was able to replace frustration with a loving action. I could not wait to continue where I left off in the book. I was hooked.

The Result. Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood became a reference book for me. I found myself referring to it constantly, eager to see what new techniques I could try with my son. We were able to avoid many power struggles by implementing a few simple techniques and it was amazing to see the creative solutions our two-year-old came up with to solve his problems.

The Love and Logic® techniques help us minimize the amount of time we spend handling misbehavior, giving us more time to enjoy our boys. I wanted to spread the word - this is something every person who interacts with children should know about.

HIGH FIVE parenting. That is when the idea for HIGH FIVE parenting was born. My goal is to create a community where parents can come together to explore the Love and Logic® concepts, go home and put whatever you feel is a good fit for you and your family into practice, and then return to the group the following week to reflect and discuss your experiences. Parents report they gain an invaluable perspective from their own self-reflection as well as from hearing questions and success stories from other parents taking the course.

Will

2 years

Jackson

5 years

Parents report they gain an invaluable perspective from their own self-reflection as well as from hearing questions and success stories from other parents taking the course.