I was so excited to review the 1-2-3 Magic DVD. More so than I normally am, but it’s because it is for a huge reason. I NEEDED this. I’m warning you that I am about to divulge some emotional and trying times in my life right now. A few years ago I read 1-2-3 Magic and I truly believe that the program works. However, I’ve slipped a little bit lately. My family life has had a fairly dramatic change to it recently. My husband started his year long deployment and silly me didn’t think my kiddo(s) would react in a negative way. Well, the joke was on me because my almost 3 year old daughter turned into a little beast at day 5 of Daddy being gone. I don’t necessarily think it’s just because he left; I think age has a huge play in this. The fact is that she changed and I needed a reminder of how to discipline. Instead of talking less, I was talking more and I was SO sick of hearing my voice.  I needed a refresher and as a busy mom that is VERY tired at the end of the day I couldn’t even imagine re-reading the book, no matter how much I wanted to. The DVD sounded so much more appealing to me.

When my happy mail arrived, I knew what I’d be doing during nap time! I needed my refresher 1-2-3 Magic course to begin ASAP.  Dr. Thomas W. Phelan had his first seminar in 1982. The first thing that appealed to me is that he has 2 kids, so he knows what it’s like to be a parent!  Dr. Phelan seems genuine, relatable, non-judgmental and engaging. I’ve been to a couple other parenting seminars and what stands out about Dr. Phelan is that he is NOT cheesy or condescending. If condescending isnt part of your program, then you shouldn’t be that way in your seminars. At least that’s what I think! 

The DVD starts out with Dr. Phelan asking “what kind of kids do you want?” The first thing that would’ve come to my mind before I had kids was probably a kind, smart, happy, healthy kid. Of course I still want all of these wonderful things, but in reality we want a KID WHO LISTENS! We all want to enjoy our kids everyday, right? I have had a few nights where I go to bed wanting to bang my head against the wall and replay the day trying to figure out what I did wrong. I was driving myself nuts.

This DVD was exactly what I needed. Like I said earlier, I needed to be reminded that gentle discipline is ok. Kids need discipline and I know this, but I let my emotions get in the way. 1-2-3. Is something that sounds so simple, really that easy? Is it really…Magic? Yes, you guys. Yes.  After the first day of reinstating 1-2-3 Magic, I said to my husband “wow. I feel like I have so much more energy!” I was completely exhausting myself because I was talking so much that my head seriously hurt by the end of the day.  Think of all that precious Oxygen getting used up because I’m arguing with my 3 year old. I sat back many times trying to figure out why I was arguing with a toddler. She was winning and I had to take control. Before going back to this program, I’d cry myself to sleep wondering when my sweet little girl would return. I thought maybe this was just how the next year of my life was going to be and figured I’d just throw in the towel.  I am not a complainer when it comes to my kids, but I was breaking down.  I recognized the giant change that was going on, but our lives could not be like this.   Seeing my daughter’s behavior after my husband left broke.my.heart. and led me to tears. Literally. I even cried to my husband telling him I was afraid this deployment was going to change my relationship with my daughter. Almost like I was slowly losing my baby girl.

The basics of 1-2-3 Magic is to talk less and take out the emotion. Easier said than done, right? Not treating your kid like a little adult is mentioned a few times. I really try to not baby talk my kids, but they aren’t little adults. They don’t understand right from wrong all the time and they’re not about to reason with us when they’re 3 years old. WE need to be the adult and show them the way. They really don’t need a minute long explanation about why they can’t have a cookie before dinner. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that many grown kids have an I deserve it all and I deserve it now personality, when they’re growing up in a let it all hang out and express your emotions world. Of course I want my kids to tell me how they’re feeling, but there has to be balance. As parents, we need to get back to the basics so that our children can make the world a better place and BE GOOD. They’ll learn self control eventually, but we really need to help guide them to that point.

So what happened when I started 1-2-3 Magic?

• Day 1 ~ I went to bed without a headache.
• Day 2 ~ My daughter would go to timeout right when I said “3”.
• Day 3 ~ My daughter put herself in her own room when I got to 2. Ha!

Less yelling, more hugs. That’s what my family needs, especially right now. I probably count to 3 an average of 50 times throughout the day, but it’s getting better!! I don’t think kids magically listen over night, but I do think that this program helps calm down the defiant, whiny, know-it-all phase and puts the control back into the parents hands.

1-2-3 Magic had many products and you can find them all in their shop right here. Disciplining our kids doesn’t stop at age 12, so they have a guide for teenagers too! The products range from children and teens to kids with ADHD. They also have products for teachers, so there is something for everyone. Find what will work for you! 

This DVD touches on many different topics – everything from discipline at home to discipline in public, sibling rivalry and hitting to getting your kids to STOP verses getting them to START. Stop hitting and start eating etc. I will definitely be buying copies of the book or DVD for new mom friends! Whether you decide to read the book (found here) or watch the DVD (found here), you will find that this program really works.

I have read the book and now watched the DVD. I preferred the DVD for two reasons. 1. The thought of reading right now exhausts me. I know that’s lame, but I’m being honest! 2. You and your spouse or kids grandparents, babysitter etc. can sit down and watch this WITH YOU! How awesome would it be to have everyone on the same page?  This is something that everyone can follow and trust me, you will have zero regrets when you go to bed at night not feeling like your head is about to explode.

For more on 1-2-3 Magic:

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This is a sponsored post.  We received product and were compensated from 1-2-3 Magic to facilitate this review, but all opinions are my own.