Raising kids is hard enough as it is, throw in peers, technology, and basically the entire 21st century, and it can be overwhelming, to say the least. I’m quite happy to accept all the help I can get! And I’ve recently received help from a wonderful book that was sent my way…

There are some very interesting guidelines in the book How To Raise Great Kids – by Jim Gromer. For the purpose of this review, I am going to highlight just a few.

Freebie

“Starting today and every day moving forward, allow your kids to tell you anything at any time without getting into trouble,” Jim explains that allowing our children the space to tell us anything without repercussions builds a relationship of trust, and allows our children to feel comfortable discussing uncomfortable topics.

The Cardboard Box

“One of the greatest toys you can give a small child is a large cardboard box. The bigger the better!” As parents, we spend thousands buying our children the latest gadgets. Why? Finding ways to allow our children the freedom to explore their creativity and grow their imagination whilst having oodles of fun is more productive, creates a stronger vocabulary, and makes space for problem-solving… and it’s way cheaper!!

What They Get Away With

“The dirty little secret is that all of our kids do whatever they get away with (example: if your child yells at your spouse and doesn’t get reprimanded/punished, they’ll keep doing it).” This point really made an impact on me. We are the ones who shape our children’s behavior. Whatever we allow our children to get away with becomes the norm for them. It becomes acceptable. So we need to watch how our children speak, act, and even eat; and guide them to behavior that is acceptable.

Life Isn’t Fair

“The cold hard fact is that life isn’t fair at all. Folks who are smarter, work harder, and network better than others tend to be more successful. Confidence, education, and upbringing all factor into how far your offspring will go”. I think this is a particularly difficult one for parents to deal with. We obviously want our children to have all that we can give them, however, we are actually doing them a disservice. We need to teach our children how to accept and deal with failure. How they are not always going to get what they want, but that this should never stop them from striving to reach that goal.

Attitude is Everything

What is the most important truth we can teach our kids? That attitude is everything. There are times that our children are going to deal with tough situations, and it is our responsibility to teach them that they control how it affects them. That life becomes more manageable when we tackle it with a positive attitude!


I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jim’s book How to Raise Great Kids – 101 Fun & Easy Ideas. I have only mentioned a few of my favorite points – there are many, many more. I found it easy to read, with easy applications that could be implemented immediately!

Disclaimer – One Messy Mama was asked for a review in return for a copy of How To Raise Great Kids. All opinions are my own.