1, 2, 3… Happy!

About the Book

"Sticks and stones may break my bones…" never actually worked for anyone, did it?

1, 2, 3… Happy! is the upbeat story of Emma and James heading to school fully prepared to take a constructive approach to any unkindness. Their mom teaches them a practical life-skill that is not only positive, but also effective in degggbnbaling with the inconsiderate actions of others. As a result, Emma and James feel in control, happy and empowered. What better path to self-esteem than that?
While positive thinking is always an asset, when young children are bullied, being armed with a tool like 1, 2, 3 Happy! can mean the difference between becoming a constant target of bullying, or stepping outside of the bullying cycle. Make 1, 2, 3 Happy! a prerequisite to attending school!

About the Author

Joy lives in Connecticut, USA and has a husband and four children. She has worked in the Tech Industry for a few decades, also keeping a schedule overflowing with her kids' and family's activities as well as various other side-ventures.

Her book, 1,2,3...Happy! was written after her eldest son was severely bullied and inspired by the fact that she was seeing an increasing "victim mentality". She also felt that most anti-bullying campaigns focus on "after-the-fact" and rely on bullies being reported. Thinking outside the box (a box that is usually covered by schools and mental health practitioners), Joy took a different approach- a very practical one- to make fewer targets available to bullies, and teach a tool for kids to opt-out of the bullying cycle.

1,2,3... Happy! teaches children to exercise their "personal choice muscle" and the happy side-effect is that this practice serves as a "bully-resistant shield", while setting up a lifelong tool for empowerment. Bullying per-se is never mentioned in this upbeat and positive book that will enhance the lives of all children who hear its fun message.

More back story:

One of Joy's children was constantly targeted by bullies. Being young for his grade and a sensitive child, the bullies got instant feedback that they were bothering him. It showed immediately on his face, giving the bullies the exact results they wanted.
Once her son proved to be a reactive target, the bullying became relentless. It was playing "catch-up" to teach coping skills and avoidance techniques when adults eventually became aware of the situation. Then as a freshman in High School, her son was threatened with the brutal physical attack of rape- as empowered bullies tend to escalate their tactics! Unusually, the school was not much help in assuring the child's safety. This was a very tough time for the whole family. There just were no assurances of protection, so in the end all they could do was switch to a private school, to break the bullying cycle. This was a very expensive, but thankfully successful, remedy.

Not long afterward...
Another of Joy's children was also verbally bullied in public school, with words that are considered terribly inappropriate and "hate speech" by today's definition. But this son did not "take it in" and did not see it as his problem, but in fact an issue with the bully. This son basically ignored all attempts to make him react to the shenanigans of the bullies. This son moved on to what he was having fun doing, and never reacted much at all (other than to tell adults) because he was busy doing his own thing. Bullies just were never able to make him buy into their ability to make him feel bad. Here were two kids with completely different school experiences, entirely based on how they viewed a bullying situation!

There was a gem in this revelation, and Joy further unpacked her bully-resistant son's reaction. A children's book to share lessons learned was the next step. Taking the method of a repeated verse for memorization from a former nanny (who was a children's book author) 1,2,3...Happy! evolved. Then combined with understanding the power of the mind, the tool (1, 2, 3... Happy List) was developed. Other life lessons included in 1, 2, 3... Happy! are an introduction to visualization, how to follow what makes you happy, and positive thinking.

Joy developed 1,2,3... Happy! for all aspects of life, since keeping focused and having a positive attitude will always be a benefit. But over the years it has spread primarily as a very practical addition to anti-bullying efforts. The stories of real results are what keeps Joy going. Seeing this as a way to give back, she has made empowering kids one of her goals.

Spread 1, 2, 3... Happy! today!