get ready for bed, he replies, “You blankity-blank!” Same thing.
“That’s 3. Take five, and add fifteen more for the rotten mouth.”
When that child returns from time-out, a short explanation will be in
order concerning what the word meant and why he can’t use it in your
house. Remember: explanations are appropriate when a child’s
misbehavior is new, unusual, or dangerous.
That’s it. That’s the essence of counting. Counting is extremely
simple, direct, and effective. But now you are thinking that there must
be a catch. And guess what? There is.
Counting Challenges
Occasionally I have run into parents who say, “We went to your
workshop about eight weeks ago, and we enjoyed it. We have two
fairly difficult kids, aged seven and five. When we went home we
were very surprised. 1-2-3 Magic worked, and our children were
much better behaved. But that was two months ago. The 1-2-3 method
is not working anymore. We need a new discipline program.”
Key ConceptWhen you talk too much, you switch your child’s focus off the need for good
behavior and on to the possibility of an enjoyable argument.