1-2-3 Magic for Christian Parents: Effective Discipline for Children 2 - 12

Thomas W. Phelan and Chris Webb
ParentMagic, Inc. (2007)
ISBN 9781889140247
Reviewed by Tammy Petty Conrad for Reader Views (12/07)


There are certainly enough parenting books on the market today with a variety of topics to choose from. Still parents are looking for the magic that can help them discipline their children in a less painful and more effective manner. These authors, one a clinical psychologist and the other a certified counselor and associate pastor, offer practical tips for parents and other caregivers to manage the behavior of young children. The book introduces its concepts within the framework of the teachings of the Bible. The authors admit that “The Bible gives many great principles for raising children. The difficulty comes in application.” Therefore, the need for the book.

We’ve all been in a check-out line and wondered why the parents didn’t discipline the child in the next aisle screaming for a candy bar. Most of us have probably witnessed a child being disciplined inappropriately too. It is not an easy task to do it right, but so worthwhile.

The book is divided into three steps. First you learn how to control obnoxious behavior. Second you learn seven methods for encouraging appropriate and positive behavior. Finally you lean how to maintain healthy relationships. Despite the title, there is really no magic, but instead precise tools that are simple and effective in helping parents to resolve their children’s discipline issues.

The organization of the book makes it easy-to-follow. I appreciate the Points to Remember at the end of each chapter as they summarize the main ideas. The Questions for Christian Practice give readers the opportunity to reflect on what they’ve read and even refer to specific chapters in the Bible. The authors make the introduced concepts seem so simple that you can start using them immediately.

The Little Adult Assumption was a new way of thinking for me. Of course children aren’t adults, but we do sometimes try to deal with them as if they were. The book talks about the two biggest mistakes parents make:  too much talking and too much emotion. This chapter will always have a bookmark in it so I can refer back to it frequently to help me with some of my top issues too. The authors prescribe positive self-talk, reciting appropriate Bible verses, praying and finally seeking counseling if needed to deal with these issues.

It is particularly useful that there are exact scenarios included with scripts of how events may play out based on how parents react. It also addresses other caregivers and how they can follow the same system as the parents. The authors even include a chapter on the Kickoff Conversation, or how to introduce the new program to your children. The book sticks to its Bible base with frequent quotes. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” sums up the program (Proverbs 22:6).

We can all use more training on childrearing. It is a never-ending job, but one of the most important ones we will ever do. “1-2-3 Magic for Christian Parents:  Effective Discipline for Children 2 – 12” is a book worth picking up and actually reading before your child grows up.

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