The logic of love

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jovan Banks
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Raising a child can be a challenge for first-time parents.

The arguments, the child's unwillingness to listen and the tantrums can all become stress factors in a parent's daily routine. "Love and Logic" looks to help with that by building a better line of communication and understanding between parents and their children.

Dana Livsey, the Family Advocacy outreach manager of the 509th Medical Operations Squadron, has much experience with children.

"I was not aware of the Love and Logic philosophies while raising my own children, but they were very effective with my grandchildren," Livsey said.

The eight-hour class is broken up into two-hour segments over four days. The course has many different parenting techniques that can be applied to a range from infants all the way to teenagers.

"The techniques give the child a chance to make decisions that are guided by their parents," Livsey said. "You give them choices that you are okay with. For example, you can ask them if they want milk or juice and let them decide."

The classes are directed at taking out the confrontation and arguments that can easily happen between parents and children.

"The issues children have at certain age groups are universal," said Kelley Beckner, the Family Advocacy program assistant manager of the 509th MDOS. Beckner has been trained by the Love and Logic Foundation to become a facilitator of the parenting program. 

"The Love and Logic philosophy is empathy followed by consequence," Beckner said. "The concepts and rationale behind all Love and Logic books are the same when you get down to it." 

Jennifer Waggoner, a Whiteman spouse, expressed her appreciation for the availability of the course. With it being free to military members and spouses, she said she plans to attend future sessions.

"I think offering the course here for free in addition to providing child care so we can attend is a great thing," said Waggoner. "If I could benefit from them, I would definitely be open to attending the next available course."

The 509th MDOS offers these courses quarterly, which highlight a different age group each quarter. The next course is scheduled to be held in April. For more information on how to obtain a slot in the upcoming course, call Dana Livsey at 660-975-4341.