Useful Books about Family

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts

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• By Dr. Gary Chapman,
• Five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.

The 7 Habits of Effective Family

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• Useful, practical, and Effective
• Genius concept of “Emotional Bank”:
  1. the quality of the relationship to have with others. Like a finanical bank account in that you can make “deposits,” by proactively doing things that build trust in the relationship, or you can make “withdrawals,” by reactively doing things that decrease the level of trust.
  2. And at any given time the balance of trust in the account determines how well you can communicate and solve porblems with another person.
  3. Some “deposits” you can make in your own family–that may be helpful; e.g.: Being Kind, Apologizing, Being Loyal to Those Not Present, Making and Keeping Promises, and Forgiving.
• Habit 1: Be Proactive – “to act based on principles and values rather than reacting based on emotion or circumstance.”
• Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind – the cultivation of the first habit is the building of a family mission statement. A family mission statement explains the principles and proriority the family.
• Habit 3: Put First Things First – putting family first in all things. About work-life balance, day care, full-time working mothers, etc; fact that no one else can raise your children as the parent can.
  • An effective tip: weekly family time, a time to plan, to teach, to solve problems, and to have fun.
  • one-on-one time with your spouse and each member of your family as part of the relationship building .
• Habit 4: Think “Win-Win” – next three habits are explained by the author as the root, the route, and the fruit. The mutual benefit when both people are satisfied.
• Habit 5: Seek First to Understand - Then to Be Understood. This is the method for deep interaction with understanding and empathy with another person.
• Habit 6: Synergize – Compromise becomes a way of daily living and loving.
• Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw – the author emphasizes the need for every family to renew itself in the four key areas of life: physical, social, mental, and spiritual.