Secrets of happy families pdf

Felier's life-changing discoveries include a radical plan to reshape your family in twenty minutes a week, Warren Buffett's guide for setting an allowance, and the Harvard handbook for resolving conflict. The Secrets of Happy Families is a timely, counterintuitive book that answers the questions countless parents are asking: how do we manage the chaos of our lives? How do we teach our kids values? How do we make our family happier?

Written in a charming, accessible style, The Secrets of Happy Families is smart, funny and fresh, and will forever change how your family lives every day.

In The Secrets of Happy Families, Scott Haltzman offers an original approach to building family contentment that works for families of all ethnicities and make-ups—two-parent, single-parent, blended, childless, or same-sex couple.

He provides a "positive psychology" way of solving family problems through strategy and leadership, including knowing and accepting who you are, taking a leadership role in loving and united relationships, building a network of support in extended families and communities, and making quality time for fun, adventures, holidays, and rituals.

In this family, everyone is keeping secrets—even the dead. Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live. You have to be rich to have a house there, and Fred and Sheila Merton certainly are rich.

But even all their money can't protect them when a killer comes to call. The Mertons are brutally murdered after a fraught Easter dinner with their three adult kids. Who, of course, are devastated. Or are they? They each stand to inherit millions. They were never a happy family, thanks to their vindictive father and neglectful mother, but perhaps one of the siblings is more disturbed than anyone knew.

Did someone snap after that dreadful evening? Or did another person appear later that night with the worst of intentions? That must be what happened. After all, if one of the family were capable of something as gruesome as this, you'd know.

Secrets to a Happy Lifeis about relationships and how an abusive marriage can affect women and children and how faith in God can transform a life.

God is able to bring about change by healing everyone. No matter what you deal with, God can bring you out, and you never have to settle for less than God's best in your life. No one can compare to what God can do in your life. He never fails; nor does he leave. God's primary provision for humanity was the family and he established it to be enjoyed and to provide a safe haven for children to be nurtured into health, happiness and significance.

However, family dysfunction prevails, and far from the family being a place of happiness it has become for many a place of disappointment and distress. This book explains how God is in the business of blessing, restoring and enriching families in view of them being happily involved in family. Does your family ever drive you mad? Would you like yours to get on better and be happier?

Families are becoming more complicated and, for many, living is increasingly stresful as parents juggle working responsibilities with family care. Bill Lucas, with Dr Stephen Briers, draws on proven research to introduce approaches that can transform your life. Discover the nature of happiness and how to develop positive feelings in your daily life. Learn how to create a positive environment for your.

The purpose of this book is to help people recognize signs which will tell them they may have to change their approach, be it with a spouse, children, siblings, or in-laws.

We often become so involved with our own problems and concerns that we sometimes don't really appreciate the impact our words or actions have on others, especially those closest to us. But this time, he convinced his family to join him in experiments at varying levels of cooperation and enthusiasm, as you might suspect.

Looking beyond psychologists and family therapists, he took his research to some unlikely places to learn about improving family dynamics: Silicon Valley, the Green Berets, Warren Buffet's bankers to name only a few. He says, " I set out to write an anti-parenting parenting book. It's often funny and always highly interesting. I even picked up a few ideas for making things better in some non-family group situations I'm involved in, so I do not consider this book to be for parents only.

I think everyone can learn quite a bit from this book, and I happily urge you to read it. Jan 28, Emma rated it it was amazing Shelves: parenting.

What's the secret to being a happy family? I loved this book. Aside from getting some interesting, out-of-the-box tips on navigating parental life, I loved this book because it didn't make me feel like I was buggered before I even started. As parents today, I feel like all we get from the "experts" is hand-wringing over how the world we live in is basically toxic in every way to children- how we're basically screwed.

Social media, screen time, Aside from deciding to live under a rock with no electricity, home-school and grow your own food, what can we do? Here's a Dad who wanted to find some ways to make his family life happier and run more smoothly- doing so within the real world that we all inhabit. Taking some old fashioned notions that are still valuable and applying them to realistic modern lives.

The best tip from the whole book- "Try. Mar 09, Elaine Kessler rated it really liked it. I found this to be a very easy and enjoyable read. I don't care much for Feiler's religious bias and don't buy into it entirely. It is evident he makes an effort to temper his beliefs which I appreciate.

Many of the take aways are exciting and novel strategies that I'm looking forward to trying out. We've already begun implementing a few of them: having a belief board, having potentially difficult conversations on cushioned seats, sharing family narratives, speaking more candidly about our bodie I found this to be a very easy and enjoyable read.

We've already begun implementing a few of them: having a belief board, having potentially difficult conversations on cushioned seats, sharing family narratives, speaking more candidly about our bodies and sex, practicing being curious about each other's point of view. I think this book serves anyone interested in investing in ANY familial framework, biological or not. The suggestions are broad enough to be applied in a variety of contexts but are specifically tailored for the family unit.

After reading this book, I'm left excited and inspired. Mar 28, Jacqueline rated it really liked it. I'm such a sucker for anything practical, so I loved the rubber-meets-the-road qualities of this book. Not every idea in it appealed to me; but then, the author admits from the beginning that readers will need to pick and choose what will work in their own families.

This wasn't a MUST-READ, recommend-to-all-my-friends type of book, but there were some solid ideas in here that I'm going to attempt to implement in my family, so I think it's worth reading. I'm not sure it'll make us happier, per se I'm such a sucker for anything practical, so I loved the rubber-meets-the-road qualities of this book.

I'm not sure it'll make us happier, per se I already think of us as a pretty happy family , but it might make things run more smoothly around here. Jul 05, Jessica rated it it was amazing. I was a little leery of this book because its a few years old, and I also tend to not love parenting self help books. However, I found this book to be extremely relevant and fresh. He not only covered area involving kids; but couples, extended family, and aging parents.

Most areas covered provided tips and strategies that could easily be applied to everyday life in many different situations. I enjoyed his research style and curiosity as he tested different theories on his own family.

It made eve I was a little leery of this book because its a few years old, and I also tend to not love parenting self help books. It made everything relatable. After reading I feel reenergized and excited to put some of these suggestions to test. Apr 28, Farrah rated it liked it. Here are some good takeaways or interesting tidbits though: "The number one thing parents should avoid after a game is deconstructing mistakes Ask your child for three things they remember about the game and then 3.

Ask your child for three things they remember about the game and then tell them three things you remember. If your kid mentions something negative, respond with a 'You're the kind of person who' statement.

The more committed families are to a religious or spiritual tradition, the happier they are. Studies in and showed that mothers who attend religious services weekly are happier than those who do not and men who regularly attend religious services have happier marriages and are more likely to be involved with their children.

The most comprehensive study ever done on this topic found that what religion you practice or however close you feel to God makes no difference in your overall life satisfaction. What matters is the number of friends you have in your religious community. Ten is the magic number; if you have that many, you'll be happier. Religious people, in other words, are happier because they feel connected to a community of like-minded people.

When siblings between the ages of 3 and 7 are together, they clash an average of 3. May 28, Nicki rated it really liked it. I generally don't like self-help books; I usually find them too general to be of much use or so full of acronyms that I can't remember what they're actually talking about. This book was a pleasant surprise!

Instead of rehashing the same familiar studies about families, the author pulled from many different disciplines to illustrate principles that can applied to families.

For example, he used knowledge from corporate image building to demonstrate why families should have a family motto. He turne I generally don't like self-help books; I usually find them too general to be of much use or so full of acronyms that I can't remember what they're actually talking about.

He turned to the military for ideas on unity and team building. The thing I loved most of all is that he says every family is different - there is no one prescribed way to build a happy family, and in fact your family's methods of happiness will need to change as the circumstances and ages of your family change. I came away with a lot of ideas of how to strengthen my family.

Great book. Apr 08, Jill Urie rated it really liked it Shelves: , family-parenting , annualish-reads. There were some really interesting and unique ideas in here. Dec 22, Katie rated it liked it Shelves: nonfiction , audio-book , parenting. I thought this might be a bit hokey, but I found there to be a lot of practical and easy-to-implement advice.

Dec 19, Lisa rated it it was amazing Shelves: audio , family-kids , nonfiction , parenting , psychology. I really enjoyed this book! I especially liked that Feiler applied research findings to interactions between spouses and other family members, and not just for interacting with children.

I listened to this book, and I think I'll pick up the hard cop I really enjoyed this book! I listened to this book, and I think I'll pick up the hard copy for reference. We've already put into place one minor adjustment from the book. Oct 03, Sarah rated it really liked it Shelves: sociology.

What I liked: -The author had a very genuine way about getting his point across. It felt like he really wanted to KNOW. In other words, he's not a Dr. This kind of thing drives me crazy and What I liked: -The author had a very genuine way about getting his point across. Maybe that's just me. The author only asked people in the know for input.

I often read parenting books that are excellent and that's why they are still around but they feel very dated. Feiler referenced several current books, events, media, etc. But at the moment they are not. Still, they always suck me in- 'cause, ya know,I might miss something mind-blowing.

Lists, arghhh. I take what I want and leave the rest. I'm sure he is a very nice person but I had to get over this. Word to the wise- double time helped the problem a bit. Then towards the end he lost me a little.

Did you say you've got FOUR kids! Jan 07, Tryn rated it really liked it Shelves: marriage , parenting. The author wanted to find out if Tolstoy was right: Are all happy families the same?

He set out to identify the secrets to happy families, but to do so he went to unconventional sources. He didn't want his book to be a rehash of all the other family self-help books out there, so he did not turn to professional family therapists and marriage counselors. He looked to people who are successful in their businesses, communities, and churches, people from many different walks of life, and interviewed The author wanted to find out if Tolstoy was right: Are all happy families the same?

He looked to people who are successful in their businesses, communities, and churches, people from many different walks of life, and interviewed them to find out what works in their families. What skills from their professions do they translate into family life? What practices are actually working for them at home?

He talked to and observed these people and their families to see the principles in action. Then he tried the ideas out on his own family and reported on the results. His approach makes for a fascinating read, kind of a discovery-application text.

Research personally applied. The book is basically a report on Feiler's research and experimentation. I like the far-ranging scope of his research and the anecdotes about his family's reactions to his experimentation. Another unique aspect of the book is the multi-generational emphasis.

Bruce looks at topics as they apply to children, adults, and even extended family. For example, in the sex chapter he discusses how to teach children about sex, how adults can find more sexual fulfillment in marriage, and even how sexual attitudes both change and cross from one generation to the next.

Not all Feiler's ideas are applicable or appealing to everyone. He even reports on his failed ideas, the ones that seemed promising but didn't work out. And I've had the same experience trying out some of this ideas--some go well and some just don't seem to fit my family.

But there is so much good stuff here to choose from that everyone is bound to find many helpful ideas for family life. Oct 12, Lydia rated it it was amazing Shelves: parenting. I'm going to read this book multiple times and take notes! This book reads like the data-informed introduction to the best, up-to-date family and romantic life I've been looking for! All my favorites are included with supporting studies and we'll paced anecdotes.

Highly recommended! Aug 23, Sandra rated it it was ok. An entertaining read, but I think it was mostly too gimmicky to be of any real use. Creating elaborate scavenger hunts to keep your kids amused while on vacation?

The point of vacation is to get away from work. If you have to come up with a scavenger hunt, maybe you've picked the wrong vacation destination. Creating a family mission statement to display in your home? Thought-provoking suggestion, but I can't imagine any real families actually following through with this. The premise of the book An entertaining read, but I think it was mostly too gimmicky to be of any real use. The premise of the book is this: Feiler tackles a subject in each chapter, and for that subject, looks to business models for ideas.

Clever idea. Maybe a little too clever.