Growing Up Social -- Review & Giveaway

I read and review a good many books.  I like to do both.  THIS book, though, is different.  THIS book should be read my every parent.  Every. single. one.  This will convict you and open your eyes in a huge way.  I know, because it has done so for me.

When my older girls were young, we had no cable tv.  The only thing we watched on our television was movies we could enjoy as a family.  My MainMost had a pager.  No cell phone was stuck to our hands like glue.  We had one computer.  One.  And it wasn't even on all of the time.  We had to turn it on and wait for it to "warm up" before we could dial up to the internet, play a game of Tetris, or put an educational cd in for the girls.  

Fast forward 15 years:  Every person in my home owns a smart phone.  Every person owns a laptop and a Kindle.  There are several iPads here.  The television has streaming capabilities from several sources -- Roku, Chromecast, Netflix, Amazon Prime.

So what happened?  There is always a blue screen glowing here.  Someone is always on a technological device.  Very rarely do we all sit down and talk.  And when we do talk, the words that are spoken are not always kind.  My family (like many of yours, I suspect) doesn't really know each other anymore.

The reality is sad and literally breaks my heart.  Maybe it's time for an intervention at my house.

We live in a world that can be completely driven by screens, if we let it be.  My children are very social.  From Facebook, Twitter,  and Snapchat to text, email, and online gaming, they interact quite a bit; BUT is this what it's all about?  If we aren't careful, we may reach a point in our lives in which our children no longer know how to relate to people in real life.  That thought scares me.  I absolutely do not want to lose my children to technology, but it can be a very real threat.  Mind you, I like technology.  The MainMost is a techno guru and in many ways technology has made our lives so much easier.  I can send a group text to all of my children, quickly letting them know some important information.  I can share a picture with the family and keep everyone "in the loop" on life.  Those are good things.   But if we aren't careful, we can easily let fast communication take the place of real conversation.  It's a constant struggle to keep a positive balance, and Gary Chapman (you know, of The 5 Love Languages fame) and Arlene Pellicane are speaking straight to my heart in their new book, Growing Up Social:  Raising Relational Kids in a Screen-Driven World as I read through its pages and work to create that perfect balance for my family

Certainly NOT an anti-technology book, Growing Up Social offers a plan to take back your home while explaining the effects that technology has on children and even includes a Screen-Safe Family Pledge that helps open the lines of communication between parents and children.  The plan includes helpful suggestions to get your children to focus on the real world in which they live and discussion starters for a healthy dialogue about social media content, what's appropriate in texting, and how to handle on-line friendships.  I'm finding this to be most helpful as I teach my children to not only protect themselves in social media, but more importantly, to protect their hearts in this crazy world gone mad.  We can use social media and technology to better ourselves and our witness and we are discovering together how to build a better community of love and support.  

If you have children, work with children, or just care about children, you need to read this book. Seriously, it's truly that important.  

About the book:

-Softcover

-209 pages

-Parent Resources that help you determine if YOUR child has TOO MUCH screen time

-Discussion Guides for every chapter that make this the perfect resource for Small Group Bible Study 

So . . . is technology bringing your family closer together or driving you farther apart?

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: 

1. Affection
2. Appreciation
3. Anger management
4. Apology and 
5. Attention.

You'll learn how to:

•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 (instead of allowing the television or iPad to babysit)

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.  And that's a pretty important job.

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.

You can find out even more about Growing Up Social:  Raising Relational Kids in a Screen-Driven World by visiting the following websites:

Official Website:http://www.5lovelanguages.com/growingupsocial
Book Trailer:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-ANoYvKA1k

And you can enter to win your own copy of this great book.  Please do.  You'll be so glad you did.


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Our CHILDREN have the POTENTIAL to change the world.  Let's make sure it's a positive change.

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising): 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.

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