Traits Of A Healthy Family

Discusses the fifteen qualities that researchers have discovered are almost always present in healthy families, and explains how these qualities can be developed.

Author Dolores Curran conducts a question and answer session with a live audience about the 15 qualities shared by healthy families.

Is your family all that it could be? Many feel bombarded by images and experiences of broken families, but this is not how God intended families to be! So often we examine the traits of unhealthy families, but Gary Chapman paints a biblical portrait of what a loving, stable family looks like. He details five timeless characteristics that create a healthy family environment: A heart for service Husbands and wives who relate intimately Parents who guide their children Children who obey and honor their parents Husbands who love and lead In Dr. Chapman's own words, "What happens to your family does make a difference not only to you and your children, but to the thousands of young observers who are in search of a functional family." This book is not merely for reading, but for living. Experience God's design for family.

Everything that parents need to survive and thrive in the 21st Century. Marriage, children and family have been lifelong priorities for Charles Swindoll. Based on his extensive study of both the Old and New Testaments, Chuck has drawn together those timeless insights for building close and rewarding family relationships. Following a biblical exploration of God's purpose and plans for families, readers are equipped with all the tools necessary to grow strong healthy families. Chuck then takes a clear-eyed look at those areas where parents and families often experience difficulties. In typical Swindoll fashion, these discussions are frank and direct but always leave the reader filled with hope and encouragement. Selected Chapters: This Is not your Grandfather's Family Practical Advice on Making a Marriage Stick Cultivating a Life of Self-Worth The Best Kept Secret of Wise Parenting Increasing the Priority of Your Family Staying Young as Your Family Grows Older Danger Signs of Domestic Erosion Restoring Relationships After You've Blown It Affirming and Encouraging Words to Dads Secret Struggles...Family Troubles From Resentment to Rebellion Final Words to Families Then and Now

Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.

In today's complex world, parenting is a tough job. Beyond the difficulties of the changing world we live in, there are also the daily frictions of imperfect people sharing a home together. However, Daniel P. Huerta, Focus on the Family's Vice President of Parenting, offers hope and help for you to become an effective parent. Based on exhaustive research, Huerta presents a collection of seven powerful character traits designed to help parents grow and thrive as they take on the task of raising children. Parents will be encouraged to navigate family life with grace and love so their children ultimately see God's transformative power, love, and influence.

Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.