1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Kids age 2-12

Dominique Book Review, Parenting and Kids Effective Discipline, Parenting

1-2-3 Magic Book cover

The book 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 by Thomas W. Phelan is a book written to give parents a better insight into why their kids are behaving in a certain way.

The books is broken into three parts

Building a Solid Foundation for Parenting
Controlling Obnoxious behavior
Promoting positive behavior

As a parent one must be warm and friendly and at the same time demanding and firm. If you do have these qualities it will be easier to make your child’s childhood fun while at the same time equip them with the skills they need to lead a good life.

There are 3 main jobs that a parent has to carry out.

Controlling Obnoxious behavior
Encourage good behavior
Strengthening your relationship with your children.

The use of counting 1-2-3 and giving time out/ time ins for tantrums is advocated in this book and there are many case studies that were use that are easy for parents to relate to.

My thoughts

It is not easy bringing up a kid. Each child has a different personality and what methods which may have worked with one child, may not work with the other.

Too much talking and emotions can be detrimental when you deal with your child. You have to be consistent, decisive and calm when you discipline your child for it to be effective.

Certain methods that were advocated may work with extremely young kids but as the kid grows older, I personally have experience limited success with the counting method.

I’ve tried time out and it doesn’t work with any of my kids. Time in works better for them and getting them to do chores which they would not normally do willingly works best for them.

I guess that such a method needs to be adapted as a child grows up and maybe a more comprehensive approach needs to be used to deal with the change.

The child has to know that the particular behavior is not acceptable and accept the consequences that are associated with exhibiting the bad behavior.

Modeling the appropriate behavior and staying calm when the kids act up have helped my children understand how they should behave in given situations.

If you are a parent of young kids I do recommend that you pick up this book for a read as it would help you understand more about how to cope with your children during their outbursts.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are 100% mine. This post has affiliate links.

February 27, 2016

Leadership and Soft Skills for Students

Dominique Book Review, Parenting and Kids

Leadership and Soft Skills for Students

Leadership And Soft Skills For Students: Empowered To Succeed In High School, College, And Beyond by Cary J Green, PhD is the latest book which I have reviewed.

Divided into 3 parts – Readiness, Relationship and Results the author brings one through a journey of how these skills can be developed.

Cary start of the book making one examine themselves to know more about themselves.

What are your strengths? Weaknesses?

What do others see as your strengths and weaknesses and how are you comfortable addressing your weaknesses?

Each chapter is written like a workbook where one has to work through and write down what is requested for you in each topic.

You start of by focusing on your Strengths, weaknesses, challenges, communication, developing synergies and seeing the results based on what you have worked on.

My thoughts

I’m eager to know how I can assist my kids in developing the leadership and soft skills which they require to excel in society. I guess as a parent we want our kids to develop these essential skills for survival and it was great that I got this book to review.

Many times students/kids are unable to do well in leadership roles as they lack the relevant skills to exhibit their prowess. They are not taught how to examine themselves, build up their communication skills and other necessary soft skills to relate to others in society.

These skills are not readily taught in schools as the focus is more on academic learning based on the current educational system. As a result the kids are at a disadvantage when they start developing relationship with others. They do not understand themselves , thus are unable to relate well to others and lead them.

Even though this book is targeted at potential high school kids, tweens it is also good for adults like me who want to revisit and improve on our soft skills.

Do get a copy if you too are interested in developing leadership and soft skills in your kids.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are 100% mine. This post has affiliate links.