Dr. Todd Cartmell - 8 Simple Tools for Raising Great Kids

Dr. Todd Cartmell has an amazing gift of making the enormous, weighty job of parenting seem doable. 8 Simple Tools for Raising Great Kids is intensely practical, easy to read, heartwarming, and downright funny. You need a proven game plan for raising healthy kids who will grow up into great adultsand this is it!

ARLENE PELLICANE, author, 31 Days to Becoming a Happy Mom and Growing Up Social

Todd Cartmells book is loaded with practical, useful tips and powerful insights that empower parents to repair and strengthen family relationships. This book is a must read not only for those seeking help in navigating the challenges of parenthood, but for anyone needing more tools in their work with children.

LINDA MICHEL, early childhood educator, learning behavior specialist, mother

Dr. Cartmell provides a tremendous resource for parents of every experience level. Better than simply being a good read with helpful insights, 8 Simple Tools for Raising Great Kids will undoubtedly be a go-to reference time and again providing clear, easily applied solutions to difficult parenting challenges. Families using these tools will enjoy long-term strength and health in their relationships.

REV. RANDY ISOLA, childrens pastor, Christ Community Church, St. Charles, Illinois

Simple tools? When I looked at the title of Dr. Cartmells book and the list of tools he includes, I thought the title was misleading. Listening isnt simple. Correcting isnt simple. Its not easy to connect today either. Then I read the book and understood the title. I agree with it. Totally. Todd absolutely makes these tools simple! The number of practical and realistic details in short, accessible chapters is impressive. His stories make them come alive. His analogies are rich. Did you know you can be a gold miner and play catch all day? Your children are like dump trucks and cereal boxes? I agree! Use Todds ideas and youll gain confidence. Your children will notice your new heart for them and your relationships will be healthier than ever. Read this book now!

KATHY KOCH, PhD, president and founder of Celebrate Kids, Inc., and author of Screens and Teens, No More Perfect Kids, and 8 Great Smarts

What a concept! A book for moms and dads thats fun to read. With lots of fresh wisdom and welcome encouragement.

JAY PAYLEITNER, conference speaker and bestselling author of 52 Things Kids Need from a Dad and What If God Wrote Your Bucket List?

Todd Cartmell has crafted a fabulous go-to manual for parents in 8 Simple Tools for Raising Great Kids. Full of relevant examples, helpful advice, and practical tips, this book will empower you to build solid relationships with your kids and strengthen your family bond.

KAREN EHMAN, New York Times bestselling author and Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker. Wife and mom of three.

Theres nothing simple about parenting, but its certainly easier if you are equipped for the job! Todd Cartmell knows what parents need and hes shared it on the pages of this book. Im grateful for such a practical, easy-to-read resource for parents!

JILL SAVAGE, mom of five, coauthor of No More Perfect Kids

As a parent, I am interested in people formation (relationally, spiritually, and physically) more than rule-focused behavior. As a professor and clinician, I am always looking for resources to supplement my work with parents. Dr. Cartmell satisfies both of these needs for me with a wonderful resource in his 8 Simple Tools for Raising Great Kids. In this book he provides skills and a relational philosophy for parents raising kids in our contemporary society. He emphasizes relational truths of parenting clearly and through excellent metaphors. I especially enjoyed the playing catch metaphor, which focuses us on participating with our children. This is a resource I will encourage my graduate students in marriage and family therapy to provide for parents in the clinic and through parenting groups at their churches.

DAVID J. VAN DYKE, associate professor, Marriage & Family Therapy Program, Wheaton College

2016
TODD CARTMELL

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Published in association with the literary agency of Transatlantic Agency.

Edited by Pam Pugh
Interior design: Ragont Design
Cover design: Christopher Tobias, Tobias Design
Cover photo of children on dock copyright 2013 by Angela Lumsden/Stocksy (62598). All rights reserved.
Author photo: Julie Salzmann

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cartmell, Todd
8 simple tools for raising great kids / Todd Cartmell.
pages cm
Summary: Written in conversational style with plenty of real-life examples, child psychologist Todd Cartmell offers parents and others who care for children workable ideas for enriching everyday life and growing healthy children under the categories of talking, listening, influencing, connecting, teaching, encouraging, correcting, leadingProvided by publisher.
ISBN 978-0-8024-1387-1 (paperback)
1. Child rearing. 2. Parenting. I. Title. II. Title: Eight simple tools for raising great kids.
HQ769.C34144 2016
306.874--dc23

2015029995

The names and details of the children, families, and situations described in this book have been significantly changed and/or presented in composite form, in order to provide the reader with illustrations of actual experiences while ensuring the absolute privacy of the many children, teens, and parents the author has been privileged to work with for over twenty years. Any resemblance of these composite illustrations to any actual person is entirely coincidental.

This book is not intended to be a substitute for professional evaluation and treatment. If you have significant concerns about your childs behavioral or emotional functioning, please consult with a qualified mental health professional.

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To all the parents I have known who work tirelessly in raising the wonderful children that God has given them.

Friend,

Thank you for choosing to read this Moody Publishers title. It is our hope and prayer that this book will help you to know Jesus Christ more personally and love Him more deeply.