Creating A Strong Family

Learn from 14,000 strong families how to have a fantastic family. With the help of this groundbreaking book, you can take the guesswork out of parenting and be assured that you are building not only a strong family -- but a fantastic family. Based on the largest study ever done on strong families -- 14,000 families studied over twenty-five years -- this book reveals six simple, yet profound, steps to building a fantastic family that will thrive for generations to come.

With topics ranging from the glory of marriage to passing on one's legacy, this Foundations for the Family book shares a consistent and convincing message that must be heard by Christians: it is time to rebuild our families.

The methods described in this book aim to help parents give children a sense of security and stability and prepare them for the adult world. It shows how to create a family legal system, a family economy and a sense of family identity which work together to provide rules, limits and goals.

In a world where our families are more scattered than ever, true and lasting family connections are hard to forge and even harder to maintain--and they don't happen by accident. For grandparents who long to create a close-knit bond in their family, popular speaker and parenting expert Susan Alexander Yates has a revolutionary new book. Cousin Camp is an inspiring, practical book that outlines how grandparents can plan and host a camp. Grandmother to 21 grandchildren, Yates has been creating cousin camps and family camps for years. Now she passes on what she's learned so you can help your children and grandchildren develop meaningful, lasting connections with each other--and with you! Full of specific, practical ideas and hilarious stories, this book contains everything you need to know from initial planning (who, when, and where) to a daily schedule to specific ways to build friendships among family members. Yates also includes plenty of ideas for family camps and reunions to draw everyone closer.

Families are one of society's oldest and most resilient institutions. From the beginning of human life, people have grouped themselves into families to find emotional, physical and collective support. Although in recent years social commentators have predicted the demise of both marriage and the family, they not only survive but continue to change and evolve. Family Treasures is a tool for all different types of individuals and families to better understand the qualities of strong families: appreciation and affection, commitment, positive communication, successful management of stress and crisis, spiritual well-being and enjoyable time together. Written in conversational style, Family Treasures empowers families to assess their own strengths and to develop a plan for building upon their successes. Within each chapter are family inventories and a variety of family-tested activities that can be used to enhance the quality of the family. "Family Treasures is one of those great resources that has strong research at its base and can be used by a variety of disciplines. The assessment tools and activities can be readily used by professionals and families to strengthen family relationships." Linda Skogrand, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Extension Specialist Utah State University

The strengths of families from culture to culture, when compared to each other, are remarkably similar and give us common ground around the world upon which to unite and develop mutual understanding. Strengths-Based Research and Perspectives: Strong Families Around the World, provides a conceptual framework for global family strengths, discussing the diverse strengths and challenges that families face regardless of location. This book presents 43 expert authors from 18 countries in all seven major areas in the world who explain what it means to be a family in the context of their country and the challenges their country faces in the world today. Focusing on the latest studies of similarities between strong families of different cultures, Strengths-Based Research and Perspectives: Strong Families Around the World presents a wide variety of disciplines, including family studies, family education, family therapy, modern languages, psychology, social work, sociology, cultural anthropology, and nursing. This insightful text centers on the Family Strengths Perspective, a paradigm that not only recognizes that there are problems in families today, but demonstrates clearly how these can be dealt with successfully. This valuable resource provides case study examples, quotations from literature and cultural mythology, tables, figures, and extensive references to give readers an in-depth understanding of the issues from strengths-based perspectives. Topics in Strengths-Based Research and Perspectives: Strong Families Around the World include: an introduction into the Family Strengths Perspective the International Family Strengths Model the propositions of the Family Strengths Perspective how the Family Strengths Perspective fits with other conceptual frameworks families from a global perspective a conceptual framework for understanding global family strengths and challenges Strengths-Based Research and Perspectives: Strong Families Around the World is useful as a text in marriage and family relationships classes, cross-cultural family patterns classes, strengths-based practitioner training classes, and family therapy and family educator training classes. This valuable resource will also be of great interest to family educators, family therapists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, and religious counselors.

Love may be sweeter the second time around, but once the bliss of a newfound relationship wears off a little, the reality of being part of a stepfamily sets in. If you are one of the millions of remarried Americans facing the challenge of blending two existing families into one cohesive whole, you are part of a stepcouple—and you know all too well how hard it can be to make your marriage work in sometimes tough terrain. Different parenting styles, finances, relationships with ex-spouses, legal matters, and even seemingly simple issues such as the kinds of chores assigned to children can chisel away at your union if you don’t always make your marriage a priority. Stepcoupling offers advice for stepcouples on how to do just that—all the while strengthening their blended family with a healthy marriage. Susan Wisdom and Jennifer Green provide tips and strategies on dealing with the issues remarried couples face, with a wealth of advice from real-life stepcouples, such as: * Learning to tailor your expectations of your spouse or children and remembering that no family is perfect * Knowing where your boundaries are, whether involving a hostile ex-spouse or a stepchild who demands too much attention * Realizing that traits like flexibility, tolerance, forgiveness, and openness are especially essential in a stepfamily situation * Making “us” time for talking, problem-solving, weekends away, and enjoying your marriage to constantly renew and strengthen your bond as a couple Let this invaluable remarriage manual help you make your stepcouple the foundation of a strong, happy, and successful stepfamily.

This important and compassionate new book from the creator of the successful God Allows U-Turns series will help parents and grandparents of the many adult children who continue to make life painful for their loved ones. Writing from firsthand experience, Allison identifies the lies that kept her, and ultimately her son in bondage—and how she overcame them. Additional real life stories from other parents are woven through the text. A tough–love book to help readers cope with dysfunctional adult children, Setting Boundaries® with Your Adult Children will empower families by offering hope and healing through S.A.N.I.T.Y.—a six–step program to help parents regain control in their homes and in their lives. S = STOP Enabling, STOP Blaming Yourself, and STOP the Flow of Money A = Assemble a Support Group N = Nip Excuses in the Bud I = Implement Rules/Boundaries T = Trust Your Instincts Y = Yield Everything to God Foreword by Carol Kent (When I Lay My Isaac Down)

"This is the first book about marriage from a Christian perspective that doesn't gloss over the hard stuff." This book is for every wife, whether newlywed or married for fifty-plus years. Most women recognize that healthy marriage requires both commitment and hard work, but how can a wife continue to thrive when marriage goes awry? Hope for the Hurting Wife is a thirty-day devotional journey that meets hurting and heartbroken wives right in the midst of a difficult marriage and gently encourages them to find hope that truly lasts. Rebekah and Jen know many wives truly wish to avoid divorce, but the pain and suffering experienced when marriage doesn't go as planned is very real. Through personal stories of heartache and scriptural insight, they address topics such as: Moving forward after trauma Loving even when you feel unloved Protecting your heart Understanding the power of choice Trusting God while waiting for redemption Hope. Courage. Confidence. It's never too late to experience these realities, even in a troubled marriage!

Learning how to get along with family not only strengthens the family and each member’s emotional security, it also provides individuals with valuable relationship-building tools and skills that will serve them well outside the family—in school and at work and throughout the larger web of life’s relationships—friends, classmates, teachers, co-workers, bosses, neighbors, romantic partners, and one’s own children. Studies show that strong family relationships help teens stay away from drugs and alcohol. Strong bases also help them stay out of trouble with the authorities, such as police or school officials. For many teens, improved school performance is also a benefit of strong family relationships. There is no one secret to help you get along in complex relationships. There are, however, sensible tips to help you not only merely get along with family members, but build healthy, enriching, rewarding, and enduring relationships that will provide strength, support, and security throughout your life. This volume enables readers to pursue healthy relationships with these tips and serves as an essential guidebook to the most central and important relationships of your life. Readers are encouraged to be actively involved with the 10 Great Questions to Ask and Myths & Facts that are provided.