The 5 Love Languages of Children

In The 5 Love Languages of Children, Dr. Gary Chapman and Dr. Ross Campbell apply Chapman's popular concept of the five love languages to the parent-child relationship. Each of the five love languages is explained and examples are given of how to use (and how not to use) a child's love language. Parents are encouraged to love their children unconditionally, which is sometimes not as easy as one would assume it to be, and to successfully express that love to a child.

I found The 5 Love Languages of Children to be insightful and challenging. The explanations of each language were informative, but the real life examples were what I found to be most helpful. There is a full chapter as well as a love language “game” at the end dedicated to help parents correctly identify how a child gives and receives love. At times, the book was a bit overwhelming to me as it felt like I have to do everything perfectly or I'm going to really mess my child up. I know that was not the authors' intention and maybe not everyone will get that feeling, but that's how it was for me.

The 5 Love Languages of Children is geared for children above age five. My child is only two which is a bit young for her love language to be obvious. The authors say five is usually the minimum age before a child's love language can be determined as it's prone to fluctuate in the early years. Therefore, a lot of the information was good, but not completely relevant to me. The main points I was able to take away from the book were: unconditional love is the desire of a child's heart, whether or not a child's love needs are fulfilled will affect them positively or negatively, and it's important to practice all five love languages at this point. I plan to keep The 5 Love Languages of Children and will probably revisit it in a few years.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

A Perfect Pet for Peyton

For twins Peyton and Penny, this will be a birthday to remember. Joined by three of their friends, Peyton and Penny's adventure through Mr. Chapman's Perfect Pet Pal Emporium includes surprising animal encounters, eating Mythical Monster Sundaes, opening gifts, and finding their own perfect pet pals based on their personal love languages.

A Perfect Pet for Peyton by Gary Chapman and Rick Osborne, and illustrated by Wilson Williams, Jr. is based on Chapman's book, The Five Love Languages. As Peyton, Penny and their friends celebrate at Mr. Chapman's Perfect Pet Pal Emporium, they learn what the five love languages are and the characteristics of each love language. Though the concepts are explained in simple terms, children ages five to ten are probably target age group for this book. Still, the illustrations are beautiful and my five month old enjoyed looking at them. I thought it was neat how there were hidden insects on some of the pages. This adds a nice element that can allow for further child-parent or sibling interaction.

I absolutely would recommend A Perfect Pet for Peyton to parents. It teaches the principles of the five love languages and contains underlying messages about animal kindness, friendship, and love.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher as part of their blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."