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Title: 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12
Author: Thomas W. Phelan
Genre: Parenting
Thingummies: 4?
Synopsis: A system of discipline focused on quickly and calmly shutting down misbehavior so you can get back to enjoying your kids.
Thoughts: I'd heard a lot of people recommend this book, so when my mom handed me a copy, I was willing to take a look. My toddler's still too young for this to be particularly effective, so check back in a few months when he's got a bit more in the way of cognitive development to find out if it really worked or not.
I'm hopeful, though. The system is pretty simple, and relies mostly on staying very calm instead of trying to explain/rant/blow your top. Which is easier said than done, but from what I've heard, if you can manage the first couple weeks, the amount of behavior that causes you to lose it decreases. A lot of the idea is teaching kids to self-regulate.
It's not that I'm anticipating an unusual amount of trouble--it's just that kids are kids and it's their nature to push boundaries. Driving you crazy to provoke a reaction is part of how they learn. My son's already starting this a little, and I'm trying to balance forcefulness and calm.
The explanations are a little repetitive, but that's pretty common in such books. I think it's partially so that the important things stand out, and partially because they figure a lot of people will skip chapters, and partially to pad the word count. It comes across as a little bit condescending in places. But that doesn't mean the content isn't sound.
Author: Thomas W. Phelan
Genre: Parenting
Thingummies: 4?
Synopsis: A system of discipline focused on quickly and calmly shutting down misbehavior so you can get back to enjoying your kids.
Thoughts: I'd heard a lot of people recommend this book, so when my mom handed me a copy, I was willing to take a look. My toddler's still too young for this to be particularly effective, so check back in a few months when he's got a bit more in the way of cognitive development to find out if it really worked or not.
I'm hopeful, though. The system is pretty simple, and relies mostly on staying very calm instead of trying to explain/rant/blow your top. Which is easier said than done, but from what I've heard, if you can manage the first couple weeks, the amount of behavior that causes you to lose it decreases. A lot of the idea is teaching kids to self-regulate.
It's not that I'm anticipating an unusual amount of trouble--it's just that kids are kids and it's their nature to push boundaries. Driving you crazy to provoke a reaction is part of how they learn. My son's already starting this a little, and I'm trying to balance forcefulness and calm.
The explanations are a little repetitive, but that's pretty common in such books. I think it's partially so that the important things stand out, and partially because they figure a lot of people will skip chapters, and partially to pad the word count. It comes across as a little bit condescending in places. But that doesn't mean the content isn't sound.
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Date: 2014-07-24 02:57 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2014-07-24 01:21 pm (UTC)From: