1-2-3 Magic: Parenting Tips
This question is from Amel, and it has to do with her three-year-old.
Q: What do you do with a child who frequently wakes up in the middle of the night or early morning?
Amel writes, “My three-year-old wakes up too early: between 4 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., even on weekends. He goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. He sleeps through the night in his crib. He shares a room with his one-and-a-half-year-old brother. He wakes up and comes straight to our bed. We let him sleep with us maybe because he will actually sleep most of the time, but he tosses and turns. We have a routine that we are following each night where he puts on his PJs, turns the lights off in all the house, and then goes to bed. We hug, kiss, and say good night.”
Today we have a question from Erin who has her hands full.
Q: What should I do with a child who gets aggressive when it’s time for a timeout?
She writes, “I have a four-year-old who gets very aggressive when he gets to a three-count and needs a timeout. He does not go willingly to his room for the timeout, and he gets angry, scratches, hits, and pulls my hair when I attempt to escort him to timeout. If I do get him to his room, he'll kick the door for the duration of his timeout...
Our question today has to do with special-needs children in 1-2-3 Magic. It's from Loretta and it goes like this:
“We have found the structure and less emotional aspects of 1-2-3 Magic to be incredibly helpful in working with our child with autism, although we do have to modify the count to give a couple of reminders when we're at 2. Ultimately, our child is able to self-correct and save the situation. This has been so helpful for us all...”
Q: Do you have any other tips or suggestions for kids who need a little more support with transitions or other advice for parents of children with special needs?
Today we have a question from Stephanie, a pediatric nurse practitioner.
Q: How do I get my child to listen?
She says, “One of the biggest questions I get from my parents is, what is the best way to get your child to listen, and stop arguing or trying to get the last word in? What would you recommend?”
Q: “Dr. Phalen, we have a five-year-old daughter and an eight-year-old boy. We've been trying to do 1-2-3 Magic for many months. My wife and I have a hard time staying patient, especially after telling the kids the same things several times over. We find ourselves raising our voices. I know that we're basically having a temper tantrum ourselves, and it's counter-productive, but we still struggle. Can you offer any tips?”