Real-Life Story 1
COUNTING OBNOXIOUS BEHAVIOR
When they are starting the 1-2-3 Magic program, most parents
begin by simply counting obnoxious behavior for a few days to
a week before they do anything with Parenting Jobs 2 and 3—
encouraging good behavior and strengthening relationships.
That’s the way my husband and I handled it, and it was a good
move!
In The Case of the Temper Tantrum Terrorist , you’ll meet
our young five-year-old son, Zach. Before we started 1-2-3
Magic, this kid was a handful. While I’ve heard that many
children (about 50 percent) will shape up in just a few days with
counting, it took us about a week to make Zach a believer.
Here’s our story. In the Before section, you’ll see two
bewildered parents trying to discipline their child without a
concrete plan. Then you’ll sit in on our process of Thinking It
Through before we get around to handling our son the right way
in the After section.