"Family Talk" by Christy Monson~

I am friends with Christy Monson and an avid reader of her books. She is a fantastic author who displays great wisdom in her writings. Family Talk is marvelous; fun to read and will be a must have book. 
When raising my own family through the years, I read numerous child rearing and family oriented books. My family members may re-call the many changes I made in work charts, activity schedules, money management, etc. This book covers many of the subjects of child rearing and family life that I wish I would have had available during that time. 
The book is based on establishing Family meetings or councils. These meetings can be formal or informal, but are nevertheless extremely important in organizing, working together, solving family concerns and having family fun. 
Her introductory story was just so poignant. Her family cared for her 97 year old grandmother in their home. What they did to care for her, by working together, and creating treasured moments with her, was very touching. I think I cried all the way through those experiences. I related to this story because I too had my Mother in our home during her declining years and my children and grandchildren were blessed to have opportunities to serve her. 
I loved the following thought expressed by Christy at the end of the Introduction: 
"Our lives haven't been perfect. We've had our problems, but incidents like this one have infused our lives with positive energy, and we are all stronger for having worked together."
That is the premise of this book; to work together to strengthen your families.
Her stories are real and needed in our era of raising families today. As she shared the success of redefining troubled families through the method of Family Councils; I could see how relevant this book is.  There are delightful stories of  families who made significant progress in just everyday circumstances through these meetings.  Her stories come from her own years of raising 6 children, friend's stories and those families she worked with on a professional basis. 
Here are the Chapter Headings that she writes about. 
How To establish a Family Council -
Teaching Your Children through Family Councils - In this section she goes into children issues and covers Name-calling, Bulling, Communication, Sibling Competition, Temper Tantrums, and your children's friends - 
Parental Roles in Family Councils - 
Nurturing Messages for your children -
Learning, Playing, and Growing Together as Part of Family Council -
Fostering Maturity -
As you can tell I loved this book. It would make an excellent Christmas gift for your children or grandchildren. I believe this book can make a significant difference in your family. I highly recommend  "Family Talk" by Christy Monson
Here is a Praise for Family Talk as found in the book:

Praise for Family Talk
The Family Council Guidebook is a vital and necessary addition to every home. In this day and age when emails, chat rooms, and staring at computer screens are rapidly replacing real-time human interaction, what better corrective could there be than a guidebook to how to talk with one another in meaningful, productive and healing ways. Christy Monson knows what she is talking about. It is a great blessing that she is sharing it with all of us.
—Ben Bernstein, PhD, Author of Test Success! and A Teen's Guide to Success

Christy Monson is a friend and a marvelous individual. I have loved every book she has written. I have given many copies to family and friends. My children and grandchildren have enjoyed receiving and reading her books. 
About the author: Christy Monson established a successful counseling practice in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Her books, Love, Hugs, and Hope: When Scary Things Happened and Becoming Free: A 
Woman's Guide To Internal Strength are published by Familius.

Links to buy Family Talk
Buy on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Family%20Talk%20by%20Christy%20Monson

Buy at Familius
http://www.familius.com/family-talk

Buy the book on my website
http://www.christymonson.com/familytalk.htm