Growing Up Social Book Review PLUS Giveaway

My thoughts

Raising relational kids in a screen-driven world is hard. Everywhere you look kids and teens seem to have lost their faces. We only ever see the tops of their heads as they text, scroll, tweet and watch their hand-held screens. They walk on sidewalks, ride in cars and eat meals with their heads down. What can the parents if these kids do to get them back into our world? How can we pull the reigns and set healthy boundaries for screen time? Dr. Gary Chapman (author of The Five Love Languages) and Arlene Pellicane have authored the book Growing Up Social with those parents in mind and offer a plethora of helpful ideas.

“The television set of the past used to be a large piece of furniture, planted smack-dab in the middle of the living room and family life. Parents knew which kids were good for kids and which weren’t. As gatekeepers, they were in full control of every program watched in the home. Then televisions became more compact and affordable. Families began having more than one television set, making it more difficult to monitor what children were watching.

Fast-forward to today: Technology has given us instant information and entertainment on televisions, personal computers, tablets, and smart phones. We no longer have one television to gather around as a family. The family televisions of the past is now multiplied in every family member’s pocket, purse, or backpack. And even though television wasn’t necessarily wholesome then, it’s certainly more vulgar, sexual and violent now.”

Dr. Chapman couldn’t have got it more right!! Kids today have entirely too much access and freedom when it comes to electronics. Dr. Chapman and Mrs. Pellicane go on to explain the effects on children and teens who spend too much time in front of screens. They are in fact made anti-social by social media! After pin-pointing the problem, they offer possible solutions for children of all types, all of which center around healthy boundaries and set rules.

The book also teaches you how to teach the five A+ skills that all children need to master: affection, appreciation, anger management, apology and attention.

Included in the back of the book are a quiz to see if your child has too much screen time, social development guides for ages and stages, as well as some great group discussion questions.

A couple of my take-aways

Getting kids into the habit of saying “I get to” instead of I have to. They get to go to church. They get to do school work. They get to fold their clean laundry.

When we see parents learn to handle our own anger in a healthier manner, we will be in a position to guide our children into processing their own anger. I used to be a yeller, which resulted in my children yelling at each other when they got upset. It wasn’t until I Iearned how to correctly express my anger that I was able to get my kids to stop yelling.

This is a wonderful resource for any parent.

About the book

Children today are no longer playing hide-and-seek outside or curling up with a good book—instead they’ve been introduced to a world of constant digital entertainment through television, video games, and mobile devices. And while technology has the potential to add value to our lives and families, it can also erode a sense of togetherness and hinder a child’s emotional and social development.

In Growing Up Social, Gary Chapman and Arlene Pellicane will empower you with the necessary tools to make positive changes…starting today. Through stories, wit, and wisdom, you’ll discover how to take back your home from an over dependence on screens. Plus, you’ll learn to teach the five A+ skills that every healthy child needs to master: affection, appreciation, anger management, apology, and attention.

•Equip your child to be relationally rich in a digital world

•Replace mindless screen time with meaningful family time

•Establish simple boundaries that make a huge difference

•Discover what’s working for families that have become screen savvy

•Learn healthy ways to occupy your child while you get things done

Now is the time to equip your child to live with screen time, not for screen time. No phone, tablet, or gaming device can teach your child how to have healthy relationships—only you can.

About the authors

Gary Chapman- author, speaker, and counselor—has a passion for people and for helping them form lasting relationships. He is the bestselling author of The 5 Love Languages series and the director of Marriage and Family Life Consultants, Inc. Gary travels the world presenting seminars, and his radio programs air on more than 400 stations. For more information, visit 5lovelanguages.com.

Arlene Pellicane- is a speaker and author of 31 Days to Becoming a Happy Wife and 31 Days to a Happy Husband. She has been featured on The Today Show, The 700 Club, and Family Life Today and formerly served as the associate producer for Turning Point Television with Dr. David Jeremiah. Arlene lives in Southern California with her husband, James, and their three children. Find out more at ArlenePellicane.com.

 

 

Growing Up Social retails for $15.99 and is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Family Christian and other retailers.

 

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Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.