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 Pastor Charles R. Swindoll has devoted his life to the accurate, practical teaching and application of God's Word. He is the founding pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, as well as the founder of Insight for Living , a leading program in Christian broadcasting since 1979 that airs around the world. Chuck has also served as president and now chancellor emeritus at Dallas Theological Seminary and has contributed more than 100 titles to a worldwide reading audience, books for which he has received the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement Award, twelve Gold Medallion Awards, and the Christian Book Award for Bible of the Year. Parenting from Surviving to Thriving Building Strong Families in a Changing World By CHARLES R. SWINDOLL Thomas Nelson Copyright © 2008 Charles R. Swindoll All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4002-8003-2 Contents Introduction.................................................................ixChapter 1 The Best-Kept Secret of Wise Parenting.............................1Chapter 2 Understanding How Your Child Was Made..............................21Chapter 3 Establishing a Life of Self-Control................................43Chapter 4 Cultivating a Life of Self-Worth...................................63Chapter 5 Secret Struggles ... Family Troubles...............................87Chapter 6 From Resentment to Rebellion.......................................115Chapter 7 Affirming and Encouraging Words to Parents.........................137Chapter 8 Confronting the "Older Brother Attitudes"..........................159Chapter 9 Increasing the Priority of Your Family.............................179Chapter 10 Restoring Relationships After You've Blown It.....................203Chapter 11 When God's Gift Comes Specially Wrapped...........................227Chapter 12 Final Words to Families Then and Now..............................247Notes........................................................................269About the Author.............................................................273 Chapter One The Best-Kept Secret of Wise Parenting * * * A good place to start is for me to give you a little background information. My mom and dad married on October 5, 1930. The following August 5, 1931, my brother Orville was born. (If you do the math, it adds up right, so I'm not revealing any scandal here.) Then on September 8, 1932, they welcomed my sister and named her Lucille after my mother. Most everyone today knows her as Luci. A couple of years later, on October 18, 1934, I came along. I was, in my mother's words, "a mistake." My parents didn't resent my arrival, but bringing me into the world was certainly not something they had planned, and I was never quite able to forget that. Orville was clearly my mother's favored child, Luci was undoubtedly my father's favorite, which left me wondering where I fit in. Both Orville and Luci had a lot of impressive qualities, so they deserved all of the attention and praise they received. My brother is brilliant. I don't know whether he ever took an IQ test, but he would no doubt score in the "approaching genius" category. He was also greatly gifted as a musician. I'm convinced he could have been a concert pianist if had chosen that as a career. But the heart of this talented genius lay elsewhere. He attended Rice Institute, now called Rice University, and ultimately wound up serving the Lord full time as a missionary in Buenos Aires for more than thirty years. Luci is among the most gifted people I have ever known. As most of you would agree, she is absolutely contagious in her enthusiasm and has a voracious appetite for living. She sang for many years with the Dallas Civic Opera and brings an amazing artistic fla