About us
Parents have been raising children for eons, without any books, classes, or “experts.”
In fact, the science of parenting started in the 1940’s, over 80 years ago! Human beings don’t biologically or psychologically change much in 80 years, even 800 years, so children have not changed much since then. But the world sure has changed! Parents need to prepare children for the world in which they will live!
So, for the past 30 years, Parents Toolshop® has created 100+ research-based parenting programs and resources, conducting outcome evaluation studies of their effectiveness, and are constantly updating our materials based on new research and current events.
And you know what?
In those 30 years, as new research emerges, it has either confirmed what we teach or explained why what we teach is so effective.
So what makes our programs uniquely effective?
All Parents Toolshop® programs and resources teach our proprietary Universal Blueprint® GPS (Guide to Parenting Success) System.
It’s a simple step-by-step formula you can use to avoid common parenting problems and plan helpful individualized responses to challenges that do arise.
Once you know the system, it takes just a matter of seconds to know:
- What is happening
- Why it’s happening
- What to say or do in that specific situation
Best of all, our system and the programs and resources that teach it aren’t just for parents. They’re useful to childcare professionals, parent and family educators, or anyone else who works with children.
Programs + Resources
It’s challenging to be a parent in today’s world! Get research-based information and proven-effective practical skills to use right away, to prevent common problems and plan helpful responses to those that arise.
Whether facing challenges like bedtime, homework, morning delays, chores, picky eaters, sibling rivalry, tantrums, bullying, device dependency, or more, you’ll find Done4U Solutions to customize to your needs!
Learn the Universal Blueprint® GPS (Guide to Parenting Success) System to plan individualized effective responses that are best for your child, situation, and family’s rules and values.
No matter where you are in your professional development, we have something for you.
- Continuing education approval of parenting courses so you can improve your knowledge and skills, and give current research-based advice and guidance to the parents you serve.
- Parenting courses and resources you can recommend to the parents you serve, to support your work with them and avoid reinventing the wheel.
- If you have advanced knowledge and expertise in areas such as mental health, trauma, and working with special populations, we have opportunities for you to share with the parents and professionals in our community.
The Parents Toolshop® Leader Certification process includes:
- Parent coach training, to use the Universal Blueprint® GPS system with parents.
- Group Facilitator training to teach the Universal Blueprint® GPS system to parents.
- Ongoing training, mentoring, supervision, and support.
Want to see if you would be a good fit? Click below to learn more.
Of all the books and magazines I’ve devoured regarding parenting skills, this one put them all to shame. I learned more from this book than I could have learned from one hundred put together.
There’s so much about The Parent’s Toolshop® that I like. As a parent, it is so easy to react to problems. This offers so many healthy alternatives. As a counselor, I like the way I can apply the process to all relationships. There were so many things that even as a therapist, with all the training I’ve had, that I didn’t realize — like the myths about timeouts. I’ve been giving the same kind of advice lots of other professionals give — and assumed it must be right, because so many people believed it. This was a real eye-opener.
I’m not sure exactly how to thank you for teaching this class. It has literally changed the dynamics in my home from a battle (complete with swearing, orders, and foot stomping) to a mostly cooperative, sometimes chaotic, but overall LOVING atmosphere. I am enjoying my children more than I ever have, because I have learned what to reasonably expect of them and how to teach them my expectations. What I’ve learned in this class will positively impact my family’s entire future. Thank you.
I would advise anyone who is a parent or who works with children to consider buying The Parent’s Toolshop® and to attend Jody Pawel’s presentations. The advice is simple, yet specific and is presented in a very non-judgmental, accepting way. As parents, teachers, and counselors, we need to know as many “tools of the trade” as we can. There’s so much at stake.
I especially like the Universal Blueprint®. It gives me a tangible, visual way to organize all that I learned and use the tools to their full potential. My professional training uses similar teaching methods, so it’s great to learn about parenting using the same process. I’m the single dad of eight children, so parenting is never easy, but this book makes it easy to understand.
I especially like the Universal Blueprint®. I can apply the skills in any situation and get the maximum use from them. I’ve used some of these skills separately before, but there always seems to be something that fell through the cracks. This pulls everything together.
The Parents Toolshop® is organized and Jody’s knowledge and information is so relevant, helpful, and insightful. She has helped me with so many issues and concerns, including potty training and keeping my son staying with me, and many, many more examples that I simply don’t have time to write out. I recognize and use more positive language to speak to my son and it’s had a ripple effect with my husband.
The Parent’s Toolshop® is an excellent resource for helping parents raise secure and responsible children. It The book and class provide an easy-to-follow guide for parenting children of all ages. I highly recommend this for all families.
My relationship with my step-children has always been tense. Before I finished the class, my relationships had improved dramatically. One night my step-daughter left a rose and note on my pillow that said, “Thanks for knowing how to listen and for being there for me. I love you.” I never thought that could happen!
This class and book brought me such inner peace and improved my relationship with not only my grandson, but also my adult children! It will benefit not only you and your children, but everyone you come in contact with.
I was brought up in boarding schools in Lebanon, so I had no role models for parenting. When I escaped from Kuwait and came to America I realized how different Arab culture is from American. My son used to be so uncontrollable. I would try to reason with him, but nothing worked, so I finally ended up punishing him, which also didn’t work. This class has changed our whole family. Now I feel like I know what to do, I am more consistent, and my son is much more cooperative.
My wife and I have agreed more about our parenting in the past three weeks than we have in the past three years!
— Joe Hood, Kettering, Ohio
I was so impressed with the change in my wife’s parenting, I had to take this class just to find out what happened!
— Ben Cohen, New York, New York
Applying the tools from just the first week had positive results! I am now responding instead of reacting. My son has noticed a difference — I am calmer, don’t yell as much and we come to a solution to problems more quickly, with less friction and everyone is happier. As a single father, my skills left me in a very bad place. I am much more confident in my ability to succeed as a single parent.
Now that my son is almost eighteen and I see what a wonderful young man he is, I realize parenting is not all “luck.” I truly believe that 90% is because of the concepts I learned from you, when he was only three — and I’ll be forever grateful to you for that. I had no role model for parenting to look back on. I learned healthy parenting from YOU, and it’s given me the most valuable thing in my life, a healthy, close relationship with my son.
I firmly believe that one of these books needs to be passed out at the hospital when a couple's first child is born. It is THE manual for maintaining parental sanity, from toddlers to teens. The class that goes with the book is a great introduction to parenting, and then the book acts as an ongoing reference manual. This helped my family so much that I am buying one of the books for my niece (a new mom). You'll be happy to know that the kids have turned out OK, thanks to your guidance!
On The Blog
Social Media & Youth Mental Health: Understanding the Connection and the AAP’s “5 C’s for Media Use”
A research study published 7/21/2025 surveyed over 1000 individuals who were 18 to 24 years old. They asked them, “When did you get a smartphone?” and about a whole host of mental health symptoms. (See news stories on Good Morning America, CNN, and CBS, Scripps News.) The study found that children who start using smartphones …
How Can Stay At Home Parents Dealing With Loneliness Create Their Own Support Systems?
“Today’s stay-at-home parents are bringing professional skills to one of the toughest jobs out there—parenting. But without the built-in support networks of the workplace or nearby family, many are finding that connection and community are just as essential at home as they were on the job.”
Why Parenting Education Matters (and How You Can Help Make It More Accessible)
Research shows parenting education can prevent and improve many problems families and society experience. Yet, many people don’t know it exists, think it’s only for “bad” parents, that anyone can be a “parenting expert,” or that professionals like therapists and pediatricians have been trained in effective parenting skills. None of those are true!
Are Your Children Lying? Why Children Lie and How Can You Encourage Truthfulness?
Kimberly wants her children to be honest, but sometimes she accidentally models lying or responds to lies in ways that accidentally perpetuate the problem. For example, When a salesperson calls, Kimberly has her children tell them she is not home. When she’s at a restaurant, she lies about her children’s ages to let them eat …
Are Your Children Lying? Why Children Lie and How Can You Encourage Truthfulness? Read More »
The NeXt GenerationZ Parents
Parenting is a lifelong journey of self-improvement. Our children teach us so much, just as did our parents. We have a daily decision to make, to unconsciously parent based on how we were parented, for better or worse, to wait for problems to arise and then react to them with trial and error, or to …
How to Get Kids to Turn Screens Off and Turn On to Life
When you were young, before you had 24-hour access to a cell phone, social media or computer, what did you do? How much time you spend each day outside, doing something physical, or with other kids? Did you ever read a book under a shade tree, fall asleep, and take a nap in the breeze? …
How to Get Kids to Turn Screens Off and Turn On to Life Read More »
Contact Us
Postal Address
Phone & E-mail
U.S. 1+ (947) 748-4541
Email Support at
info@parentstoolshop.com
Business Hours
10.00 am – 6.00pm Eastern
Closed Weekends