An invaluable resource for parents: My review of The 5 Love Languages of Children by by Gary D Chapman and Ross Campbell

MY REVIEW

The 5 Love Languages of Children takes the concepts originally written about in the original 5 Love Languages book, and seeks to apply them to parenting children. Dr. Gary Chapman and Dr. Ross Campbell describe the emotional need of a child to have a full "love tank" where they feel unconditionally loved, and then they describe the 5 basic ways that a child needs to be loved to achieve that full tank. These languages include physical touch (i.e. hugging or kissing a child); words of affirmation (telling a child how appreciated or beautiful they are); quality time (a child receiving focused, undivided attention from their parent); acts of service (a parent serving their child with an attitude of love, such as helping a child fix their bike); and gifts (giving a child a gift as an expression of love). Although children need to be loved using all of these languages in different ways, each child will primarily give and receive love using one of these languages.

I found that this book was very well-written, laid out in an easy-to-read manner, and incredibly useful to me as a parent. The authors clearly explain the concept of the love languages and how they apply to children, and as I was reading I was able to consider my own children and how they need to be loved. For example, I know that my oldest daughter's love language is physical touch, and that nothing tells her she's special so much as having a hug from dad or a snuggle with mom. I really appreciated how the end of each chapter on a certain love language lists specific ideas for how to convey a particular love language to your child. These ideas are practical and doable, and I will definitely be consulting these lists many times over the years. The authors have also done an excellent job of explaining the concept of the languages throughout the developmental stages of children, such as how they may apply when children are young as opposed to when they are teenagers. This book contains valuable concepts that are not only helpful to me as a parent, but are also important for my children to learn and apply in their own relationships as they grow up.

I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection:

I received this book free from Moody Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Learn more about the book at the product page at Moody Publishers.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

 GARY CHAPMAN, PhD, is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellingThe 5 Love Languages. With over 30 years of counseling experience, he has the uncanny ability to hold a mirror up to human behavior, showing readers not just where they go wrong, but also how to grow and move forward. Dr. Chapman holds BA and MA degrees in anthropology from Wheaton College and Wake Forest University, respectively, MRE and PhD degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has completed postgraduate work at the University of North Carolina and Duke University. For more information visit his website at www.5lovelanguages.com.

 ROSS CAMPBELL, M.D., is the author of the bestselling book How to Really Love Your Child, which has sold more than one million copies. He has spent over 30 years as a clinical psychiatrist, concentrating on the parent-child relationship. Today he works with the Ministering to Ministers Foundation, serving individual ministers, their families, and church organizations. Dr. Campbell is the co-author of The Five Love Languages of Children andParenting Your Adult Child and author of How to Really Love Your Teenager.Dr. Campbell resides in Signal Mountain, Tennessee.