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Summary: Family Lessons From "The Inside Out "
Review:
Covey encourages every parent to do some soul searching to become aware as to what really is priority in life. Then, he suggests we put "first things first." I believe that most parents would admit that they do wish to have "FAMILY" comes first--above all else. But, in today's busy, often stressful daily routine of life, accomplishing that goal is often "easier said than done". Covey clearly points out the essentials...such as establishing effective communication lines through family meetings and one-on-one talks with the kids. He makes so much sense as he describes with personal anecdotes how love, values, morality, and empathy for others is a process of teaching and learning from "the inside out"...in other words from within the family rippling out to society at large. He talks about establishing a family mission statement and helps to direct moms and dads to find the courage and the skills to make changes for the better. Covey's book creates the mindset and the outline. If you have young kids like me, I recommend a perfect compliment 'how-to book' with Covey's ... called "THE POCKET PARENT." This handy book, written for parents of 2-6 year olds, is loaded with compassion and humor along with over one thousand tips and skills to try. It literally trouble-shoots many of the problem behaviors we all deal with daily-such as Angry outbursts, Bedtime, Mealtime and Clean-up refusals, Tantrums, Disrespectful attitude, the "Gimmes", Morning "Crazies", Sibling fights, Whining and many more. These 2 books (one more theoretical, the other more "hands on" practical) have changed our lives. We now have more peace and cooperation in our family---and that gives us more time to enjoy each other. Consider both books for your home reference library.
Rating: 
Summary: More good advice on how you manage your family life.
Review: Do yourself and your family a favor and order this book and/or the tapes/cd. It will be one of the best investments you can make for yourself and your loved ones.The entire family should read and absorb it's concepts and principles for a happier, healthier, family life.
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Summary: One of the Best Books on Families Available
Review: Do yourself and your family a favor and order this book and/or the tapes/cd. It will be one of the best investments you can make for yourself and your loved ones. The entire family should read and absorb it's concepts and principles for a happier, healthier, family life.
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Summary: Helpful information
Review: This book is informative and would make a great resource for any family eager to improve their communication and family involvement. Gets a bit wordy after awhile and there are lots of testimonials touting Covey's other books, but overall this was a well-written & informative read.
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Summary: A much more accessible "7 Habits"!!!
Review: This book takes the concepts outlined in "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" to a much more accessible level. While the original "7 Habits" were lauded for their content, at times they were criticized for the generally business oriented approach chosen. "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families" renders these principles much more accessible and provides easy to follow advice that can be applied in day to day life. Subsequently, by applying the principles presented in "The 7 Habits", they will become just that - Habits! As habits they are exercised/applied without thinking about them anymore, therefore eliminating the need to constantly focus on them. The experience is somewhat similar to learning to drive a car. Initially a lot of attention to operating the car is required, because it is such an unfamiliar process. After a while, however, driving the car becomes a matter of habit, mostly executed on a sub-conscious level, while the attention can be focused almost solely on the traffic and environment. For anyone not familiar with either one of the "7 Habits" books, I recommend to start out with this one, and then - if necessary, or desired - to read "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" at a later point of time for the primary purpose of its more business oriented approach. In order to be able to focus on business, it is worthwhile to already have ones house in order; therefore the family should come first - including the family's "7 Habits". For a multi-sensory approach, I suggest to also listen to the corresponding book on CD. This will trigger different areas of the brain and therefore lead to a faster learning curve. Reading by its very approach has to happen on the conscious level, while listening can happen in situation where the primary focus is on something else, i.e. stop-and-go traffic. Dr. Covey's soothing voice in such scenarios will manage to engage the listener on a subconscious level, driving the message home even more effectively.
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Summary: This Book Transformed our Family
Review: We discovered this book after being introduced to Stephen Covey's work through business (7 Habits of Highly Successful People.) We were delighted that he and his wife have applied these principles to family life, and we set to work on applying what we learned to our family.
For example, we have made a concerted effort at changing the way we listen to each other in our family. Now we truly have adopted the culture of listening first to understand, and what a gift that has been to our relationships. Time after time, we catch ourselves from going down the old useless and hurtful path of arguing/debating/proving who's experience is right, and instead stop and listen with empathy to understand.
We also recommend the picture book If I Ran The Family, for sharing these insights with kids.
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Summary: A Bit Too Sappy For Me
Review: While this book had some good insights and "a-ha" moments, it was too sappy for me to get past the third chapter. I enjoy a good metaphor for life as much as the next person, but there were so many in this book that the author's real messages got clouded by them. I much prefered Family First by Dr. Phil McGraw.
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