Book Review: Love and Respect in the Family
by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
I first saw this new member of the "Love and Respect" family while at a counseling conference. I knew then that I had to read this book! I am familiar with Love & Respect Ministries and have read the original "Love and Respect" which applies to marriage. I had high expectations for this book taylored to family life and I was not disappoitned!
Dr. Eggerichs comes alongside of parents to show them the crucial roles of love and respect when parenting our children. Dr. Eggerichs observes that children desire to feel loved by their parents above all else. He also affirms that parents desire to be respected by their children. Many of the problems between parent and child stem from one of these components missing in the relationship.
Dr. Eggerichs walks the reader through how this disconnect can put a family on what is callled "the crazy family cycle"! He encourages the parent to ask: 1) Is my child feeling unloved? 2) Am I feeling disrespected and 3) How will I parent God's way regardless? Dr. Eggerichs gently reminds parents that as the adults, we have the responsibility to approach our children with maturity. Once Dr. Eggerichs points out what the crazy family cycle looks like (and how it begins), he instructs the reader with how to replace it with an energizing cycle instead. He covers practical topics such as discipline, how to incorporate discipleship in parenting, praying for your children and gender appropriate parenting.
I loved this book! I immediately found myself implementing principles that I read about with my children. I greatly appreciate the transparency that the entire Eggerichs family shows through the pages. I love how the family agreed to use some of their own successes and failures to edify us all in the journey of parenting.
I would whole heartedly recommend this book for parents. I love that it can reach both the parent who is new to the Christian faith as well as those who have a long history of faith. Any parent will walk away feeling encouraged and equipped from reading this book!
*I received this book in exchange for my honest review as part of the BookLook Bloggers program. All opinions are entirely my own.
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