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1-2-3 Magic: Gentle 3-Step Child & Toddler Discipline for Calm, Effective, and Happy Parenting
Kindle Edition
Published February 2, 2016
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 5, 2026
My two cents on this book, to possibly help someone make a decision on whether this would be a helpful read to them or not, since at the moment there are no written reviews on Goodreads.
What this book is:
An excellent, highly effective disciplinary plan for children from ages 2-17 that can be implemented and results seen within a few days. This plan (and the premise of the book) hinges on the belief that most child abuse (excluding sexual abuse) stems from parents getting pulled into emotionally escalating arguments. It teaches that communication and connection with your child cannot happen in the same moment as discipline. That both of those things are necessary but cannot take place in the same moment. If you don’t desire to parent that way, this book is not for you.
What this book is not:
IMO, it is not a “full stop guide to parenting”. I think a lot is left to be desired (mainly on the emotional connection side of things) if you are wanting this book to be a life philosophy. In my opinion, it’s not that. This book does an excellent job answering the question, “what do I do when I set a boundary, and my kid throws it back in my face”…. Especially without resorting to methods that are psychologically damaging such as spanking/yelling/insults/etc. It does a great job teaching non-damaging, non emotional disciplinary strategy and help the parent learn how to get obedience in a healthy way. What it does NOT do (at least not fully, IMO) is talk about what kind of adult is being created, how to foster emotional resilience and emotional intelligence, and how to connect with your kid.
In summary: If you don’t need guidance on how to create a strong emotional relationship with your child and how to love them deeply and listen to their views and talk them through things, but you DO need help with “what to do when talking them through something isn’t working”, this could be a great read for you. It was for me. It filled that gap of knowledge. However, if you need help with that side of things, there is probably a better suited book out there for you.
What this book is:
An excellent, highly effective disciplinary plan for children from ages 2-17 that can be implemented and results seen within a few days. This plan (and the premise of the book) hinges on the belief that most child abuse (excluding sexual abuse) stems from parents getting pulled into emotionally escalating arguments. It teaches that communication and connection with your child cannot happen in the same moment as discipline. That both of those things are necessary but cannot take place in the same moment. If you don’t desire to parent that way, this book is not for you.
What this book is not:
IMO, it is not a “full stop guide to parenting”. I think a lot is left to be desired (mainly on the emotional connection side of things) if you are wanting this book to be a life philosophy. In my opinion, it’s not that. This book does an excellent job answering the question, “what do I do when I set a boundary, and my kid throws it back in my face”…. Especially without resorting to methods that are psychologically damaging such as spanking/yelling/insults/etc. It does a great job teaching non-damaging, non emotional disciplinary strategy and help the parent learn how to get obedience in a healthy way. What it does NOT do (at least not fully, IMO) is talk about what kind of adult is being created, how to foster emotional resilience and emotional intelligence, and how to connect with your kid.
In summary: If you don’t need guidance on how to create a strong emotional relationship with your child and how to love them deeply and listen to their views and talk them through things, but you DO need help with “what to do when talking them through something isn’t working”, this could be a great read for you. It was for me. It filled that gap of knowledge. However, if you need help with that side of things, there is probably a better suited book out there for you.
Displaying 1 of 1 review