1-2-3 Magic: 3-Step Discipline for Calm, Effective, and Happy Parenting

We were recommended this by the SENCO at my sons school, he has ADHD and we were meant to attend the course but it was cancelled. We purchased the book for some advice to help us with our approach to parenting. I had super nanny books when the boys were toddlers but found It was lengthy and so much packed in but this book is straight to the point and so relatable!Absolutely brilliant, me and my partner sat together the night we received it and could really relate to what was on the book. We sat and wrote down a plan, then straight away started to implement techniques that were in the book, not just with our child with ADHD but with our youngest son too and working together we got there. It isn’t a quick fix or a miracle book you must stay strong and stick to what you say,if you are implementing something new we did a lot of sitting down as a family and evaluating ourselves for this to work.Our sons behaviour is a lot more settled, his behaviour as changed drastically to the point family comment on how mature he his getting and the bond we have as a family is must stronger.I would recommend for any parent with young children. Every now and again I reopen this book and refresh.

Having read the book, done the workbook and attended a course for it, I feel 123 Magic goes against helping children manage their emotions due to big feelings that have underlying causes that are being ignored by the 123M system.In some situations yes, it works, but we have to recognise when our kid's behaviour needs “time in” NOT “time out”. Consistent “time out” can actually be psychologically harmful, it's a rejection, a non-acceptance of how they're feeling and doesn't address the root cause for the behaviour or help the child manage their emotions or situations that upset them. I feel the lesson they learn from this is "you're wrong - go away". From my own experience raising two neurodivergent children, I have learnt that if my kids are acting out then there is a good reason for it.I feel this is very outdated, and in many cases, inappropriate action. I felt "off" reading the books and haven't put much of it into practice because I felt I needed to learn more. Now I have attended the course I feel even more uneasy about it.It doesn't address the WHY at all. It just wants to create a peaceful life for parents, which is actually quite selfish of us, we should be encouraging emotional intelligence and helping our children explore their behaviour and providing the tools they need to be better equipped to handle emotionally intense situations.I highly recommend Calm Parents, Happy Kids from the Aha, parenting website and Triple P as more effective and gentle alternatives.

After taking a 123 magic course I found it to be very similar to my parenting. But sometimes we forget not to walk into the trap of arguing etc with our little people so I refer back to this book, (not just for the reason mentioned may I add) it's very handy, quite funny if a little dated. It's helped our family tremendously.

Excellent book for parents that struggle with their children. I bought this book not for myself but to help parents get a better understanding.

Three weeks in and definitely seeing positive results. It has worked for us... so far!