“The Power of Positive Feelings”

I receive periodic emails from the Love and Logic Institute, and yesterday’s was a keeper. The title is “The Power of Positive Feelings,” and the author begins by saying that he loves the smells of burnt toast and burnt coffee because he associates these smells with being at his grandmother’s house as a child. Even though the smells may be unpleasant to others, his positive association of these smells with visits to his grandmother’s house has continued into adulthood.

The author is illustrating the point that our positive associations are very powerful, and that we can use this fact to our advantage as parents. If our children experience warmth and affection in relation to doing chores or learning, they will have lifelong positive associations with hard work and academics. I think that the converse is probably also true – if our children experience constant frustration and resentment when it comes to homework and chores, they will probably have long-term negative associations with these tasks.

So, this Wednesday morning, I am brainstorming ideas to help my children with those positive feelings! Blessings to all of you as we begin the month of December!