Your daughter is begging to start dressing like a high school senior. Your son says he would rather play violent video games with his friends than play catch with you in the back yard. And . . . they’re only eight years old?! What is going on here?

Congratulations, you’re entering the complex world of tweens! Between the ages of eight and twelve years old, kids begin to explore life, independence, and their developing identities as individuals. It can be a rough ride for parents, but you’re not alone. Five-time dad Paul Pettit has recently navigated these rocky roads and is here to help.

Offering expert advice, personal stories, and thought-provoking discussion questions, Pettit teaches parents how to implement a balanced-parenting style that fits each unique child. In balanced parenting, grace and freedom are paired with healthy boundaries to encourage maturity and responsibility—virtues that carry over into the identity-shaping teen years and beyond. Pettit also addresses the critical importance of communication, showing parents how to talk with their tweens on an honest and heartfelt level. By practicing balanced parenting and authentic communication, parents will discover a give-and-take, love-and-limits approach to raising tweens.

“As a sandwiched parent with a teen, a tween, and a future tween, I enjoyed Congratulations, You’ve Got Tweens!, particularly Pettit’s emphasis on authentic communication. I appreciated the book’s balanced, practical approach to parenting today’s tweens.”

—Mary E. DeMuth
Mom, parenting author of Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God and Building the Christian Family You Never Had

Paul Pettit is the president and founder of Dynamic Dads, an organization offering encouragement to fathers. A former sportscaster and youth pastor, he currently serves at Dallas Theological Seminary as director of spiritual information and is pursuing his doctoral degree in the area of family studies. Paul enjoys theology, Kansas University basketball, and Texas barbecue.