Parents, do you want to make some magic at home? Therapist Dr. Jude Black joins host Patricia Wu to explain the “1-2-3 Magic” parenting method on “Mental Breakthroughs.”
What is the 1-2-3 Magic Method and How Can it Help Parenting?
Dr. Jude explains that the 1-2-3 Magic method is a parenting tool to help children learn how to follow directions with clear communication. This method is used to either start behaviors, or end behaviors.
An example of a “start behavior” is something you want your child to start doing to better them as a person, like having them clean up a messy room. In contrast, a “stop behavior” would be something you want them to stop doing, like arguing with their sibling or having an attitude.
What Are the Steps?
This form of parenting starts with a conversation. Dr. Jude encourages you to sit your child down and talk to them about how you’re going to try something new and why.
- 1: Look at your child and say “1”: This is an indicator that you want your child to either start or stop a behavior and they should be able to tell which one it is by looking at what they’re currently doing.
- 2: Saying “2” is your child’s final warning before their consequence.
- 3: Saying “3” is going to be a timeout. The purpose of this is to remove them from whatever is going on in that moment. Once they are in that new space like their room, they can do what they want like playing or reading, without technology. This is not meant to be a punishment or make them feel like a lesser version of themselves. This parenting strategy is meant to give them space to think through what happened and choose wisely the next time it comes up.
Parenting can be difficult. Dr. Jude says to stay strong and stand your ground. It may get worse before it gets better. Through consistency, they will understand how this works and you can begin to see positive change.
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