Parenting is freaking tough. There is no owner’s manual to tell you when your loveable pre-teen is going to become a moody and withdrawn teenager. There is no owner’s manual to tell you how to help your daughter deal with the breakup of her first love. There is no owner’s manual that tells you how to connect with these little people that you brought into this world that suddenly seem to have become aliens from another planet.

I’ve said it a 1,000 times here on the blog and on social media – I would rather raise 20 girls than raise 2 boys. My daughter was so much easier to raise than her two brothers are, but I didn’t get everything right with her either. There are a lot of things that I’ve learned from her as an adult that I feel I should have been able to pick up on 10-15 years ago when she was going through these issues. Sometimes, we just want to keep the blinders on, keep on believing that everything is peachy keen and look through our rose-colored glasses and not see the ugly that is festering right below the surface sometimes.

My first son (now 16-years-old) is the one who has broken my rose-colored glasses and shown me first-hand the issues that fester below the surface and turn into major problems and hurdles if they are not addressed in the proper manner when they first begin.

Hindsight is 20/20 and all of that.

Several years ago, I gave up my career as a legal assistant to stay at home with my children after my second son was born in 2003. I knew then that his 4-year-old brother had ADHD and possibly other issues, but I couldn’t find a doctor to help me, to diagnose him with what I knew in my heart he was dealing with, until he went to kindergarten.

I have always tried to be the peacemaker, the glue that holds the family together, that keeps us a family unit and doing things as a family. In some areas I’ve done okay, in other areas I have failed miserably. I’ve always known that there was a better way to do things, an easier way to teach my children what I wanted them to know, but I seemed to be doing everything so much harder than I needed to be.

What I have learned; however, is that without the proper parenting tools, when issues arise you are NOT going to be equipped to handle them. End of discussion. It is that black and white. I don’t care if you’re the best soccer mom within a 20-mile radius, if you don’t have the right tools to deal with certain situations that arise in every single family, you are destined for trouble.

Enter Dr. Todd, author of 8 Simple Tools for Raising Great Kids, who earned his doctorate in clinical psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.

8 Simple Tools is a powerful weapon for any parent to have in their arsenal simply because it’s basically good, common, sense. Each of the tips that Dr. Todd provides in 8 Simple Tools is something that I recalled my grandmother and my mother saying or doing with my brother and I when we were growing up. It now made sense though as to why!  Remember when your parents would tell you, “One day when you have kids you’ll understand?” Well, I’m here to tell you – you will, and 8 Simple Tools for Raising Great Kids is a definite must have in your parenting library.

In 8 Simple Tools, Dr. Todd talks to you parent-to-parent, with common sense, faith-based values and family structure to help you through even the most difficult of situations with your children. You really can raise great kids!

Dr. Todd and his family moved to Columbus, Ohio after he completed his doctorate where he completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Wright State University at the Children’s Hospital. Since then, he has done clinical work at Summit Clinical Services in Wheaton, IL, where he continues to see children, teens, and families on a full-time basis.

As if that didn’t keep him busy enough, Dr. Todd has also authored five additional faith-based parenting books which you can learn more about here. He also presents parenting workshops at mom conferences such as Hearts at Home, MOPS International, as well as MOPS groups, churches, and schools. He’s also just recently developed a skill-building game for kids called The Flexible Thinking Game.

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In the past several weeks that I have had the book, I’ve lost track of the times that I’ve gone back to it and opened it to find a particular section of the book to help me with a situation that I’m dealing with involving the boys.

The “tools” that Dr. Todd lists in the book are:

1. Talking
2. Listening
3. Influencing
4. Connecting
5. Teaching
6. Encouraging
7. Correcting
8. Leading

While that list looks innocent enough and you might be sitting there thinking, pfft – I don’t need a book to tell me how to do any of that – trust me, I thought the same exact thing and boy was I wrong! I love how Dr. Todd breaks each of those tools down and shows you in real-life experiences how to utilize those tools and adapt them to fit your own family.

You can find more information on the official website – www.8simpletools.com – and be sure to check out Dr. Todd’s personal website and connect with him on Facebook.

» » CHECK OUT THIS SPECIAL DEAL « «

I am super excited to share this special deal with my readers! You will receive free access to the Hearts at Home “Essential Workshop Collection for Parents” with your purchase of 8 Simple Tools for Raising Great Kids through moodypublishers.com. (Did I mention the slew of freebies that you’ll be getting as well?)

If that weren’t awesome enough – you also receive 50% off your purchase when you use discount code GREATKIDS16 at checkout! This discount is only good from April 15 to May 15, 2016.

So what are you waiting for? Head on over to 8 Simple Tools for Raising Great Kids and find out what has everyone so excited about this amazing book from Dr. Todd!

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