Love & Logic, a program that helps parents teach children to make age-appropriate choices and to solve their own problems, is being offered through the Methow Valley School District later this month.
The six-week course teaches people to build respectful family relationships and a sense of responsibility using clear boundaries and empathy, according to Patty Barker, executive secretary to the school district superintendent, who has been employing and teaching Love & Logic techniques for two decades.
Love & Logic helps adults teach children — even very young children — to understand cause and effect, so that when they are out in the world they have the confidence to make good decisions, said Barker.
“What makes all of this work is that parents need to use a big dose of empathy every time they hand consequences back to the child,” said Barker.
The approaches can be tailored to children of different ages and to families with different value systems, although families often deal with common issues, said Barker. “For example, there is lots of family drama around food and around getting ready on time,” she said.
The program has also been used to improve relationships for couples, between siblings and in the workplace, said Barker.
The free six-week course, on Tuesdays from 5 to 7 p.m., starts April 21 and runs through May 26. The classes will be held in the Methow Valley Elementary School library. Child care will be provided.
For more information or to register, call school counselors Hannah Sands at Methow Valley Elementary at 996-2186, or Amy Faxon at Liberty Bell High School at 996-2215. The deadline for registration is April 17.
