The Secrets of Happy Families audiobook

If you have a family more than likely you have heard of the term, the Sandwich Generation. This is what society is defining the lifestyle most of us are living or will be living soon. If you have children still living with you or children that had once left that are back living at home as well as taking care of aging parents living with you, welcome to the term, Sandwich Generation. No longer are adults looking forward to the Empty Nest, because it seems like children are returning as well as parents in what some have called Life Boating. A way to make it through life now, that was unheard of before. Whether for economic reasons or simply as a temporary situation, the way we were raised has now changed to incorporate this changing lifestyle. Technology has advanced to the point that physical exercise is now just walking to the car and back as you run errands for now. Take for example you latest family get together whether its just dinner or a holiday celebration, tension is now common place for most. We see our families falling apart more than appearing strong than ever before. Where did the change begin that makes us wonder just how dysfunctional are families really are? What is the secret sauce that holds families together? What are the ingredients that make some families effective, resilient, functioning, happy?Maybe it's because those problems are gnarlier. Navigating nap time is child's play compared to navigating screen time. How do you teach your kids discipline while making sure they have fun along the way? Is it possible to develop timeless values in a 24/7 world that prizes novelty and coarseness? How do couples find time to nurture each other while spending so much time nurturing our kids? These days, the old rules no longer apply, but new ones have yet to be written. So Bruce Feiler introduces some interesting concepts to delving into these questions in his latest book, The Secrets to Happy Families. In it, he realized that most of the ideas have been hiding in plain sight. He took a course from the founder of the Harvard Negotiation Project on how to fight smart. He visited ESPN to find out what the best coaches know about building successful teams. He worked with Green Berets to design a perfect family reunion. He got some advice from Warren Buffet's banker about how to set up an allowance, and sat down with top games designers in the Silicon Valley to see how we can make family vacations more fun. I have to say I was a bit skeptical at first have a strong Christian background that some of the ideas may not be for everyone. Using the TV Series, Modern Family as his model for the new dynamics for families, he shows that no matter what is happening in the show, they always come together before the end. I don't think life is quite that simple. But nonetheless I gave some of his ideas a shot and was surprised by the outcome of establishing family meetings once a week and how the suggestions he provides has made living together with adult children returning to our home once again a fully functioning and do I dare say it? Happy? Yes, our meetings have been a huge success, and not only that every single member feels empowered and we are teaching them valuable life skills they will take into their future careers in effective team leadership, negotiating and building winning teams all with positive thinking. There are such valuable insights based on the diversity of the research Bruce Feiler has completed and while not everything will work for everyone, this has been one of the first book's I've read that really got me excited to try out these new dynamics within my own family and still incorporate our traditions and biblical values alongside them. I received The Secrets to Happy Families by Bruce Feiler compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review and have to give this one a high 5 out of 5 stars!!! There is truly something in here for everyone and you don't have to read it from front to back and simply move to the areas that may be causing some chaos in your own home. Either way, I think this is a must read book for today's ever-evolving family!

Mr. Feiler's book is like no parenting book, or marriage book, or self-improvement book you've ever read. It's a combination of the three, and more. He examines what makes families functional and happy through the lens of business principles. He draws some really interesting and practical advice from his inquiries.For example: Get rid of tired old concepts like the family dinner or date nights. Forget all you've ever heard about how to fight fair. Create a mission statement and a unique brand for your family. Employ checklist theories used in emergency rooms to improve your vacations. Look to the Green Berets to plan better family reunions. He even talks about how to rearrange your furniture to better serve your family's emotional needs and how to behave on the sidelines of your child's sporting event.Mr. Feiler doesn't just spew dry facts from research papers. He seeks out the experts whose ideas he wants to crib for the family and meets with them one-on-one. He interviews Warren Buffet's banker on how to give kids allowances; he talks with Gary Chapman about his bestselling marriage book The Five Love Languages; he sits down with David Starr to talk about bringing the so-called "agile practices" of business into the family sphere. I appreciate that he acknowledges that many families want to incorporate spirituality and morality into their infrastructure. "Family values" aren't something to scoff at or snicker about in this book.When you think of the current state of your family -- haphazard? chaotic? a battle zone? -- it could be dispiriting to read this book all in one sitting. The book is chock full of practical ways to build and maintain a happy family. But, take heart, you don't need to apply it all at once. But you do need to be willing to -- as he says in the very last sentence -- "Try."

If you are interested in this genre of happiness studies or self-help for families, this is the book to read. I was prepared to hate it, but the author's voice is clear, friendly and self-deprecating, and he's not at all pushy. In fact, this is basically a Cliff notes (sorry, Spark notes) summary of all those other books you thought you were going to read. But Feiler has no agenda except to learn useful tips so he gets the memorable anecdote and advice from an expert and then moves on. Instead of reading 300 pages on how to keep your kids from fighting, read Feiler's 5 pages. Instead of reading multiple books on how to communicate with your spouse, you've got a chapter here. Of course, if you want to learn more about one of these subjects, the references are there. Also, just for the record, from the names I recognized, I thought Feiler did a good job of finding credible academic experts.If you look at my books read, I write a lot of reviews but rarely give stars. I only 5 star books that I can whole heartedly recommend, otherwise, what's the point? This book gets 5.

Normally, I'm not a fan of this self-help genre. It often covers families that are too wealthy, too self-involved, and too unlike my own family. Bruce Feiler's "The Secrets of Happy Families" avoids cliches, questions popular theories, and asks successful professionals how they applied their expertise to their families. The result is completely accessible, no B.S., practical advice that any family could put to use right away.The anecdotes from Feiler's own family and from the families he profiled are heartwarming, heartbreaking, and any reader will be able to draw parallels to his/her own life. The theories come not from academia, but from tested and proven methods used in real families to handle real situations.Feiler also addresses the modifications and even failures of the application of the ideas from the book. He describes how families took the failed attempts, modified the advice to fit the unique needs of their family unit and brought genuine togetherness. The only true failure is giving up.This book is not about vacations, therapy, a new organizational strategy, buying more books, or even about spending more time together. This book gives readers the tools to take the family they have and enhance the family experiences and make the time they have together richer and deeper.This book is highly recommended to all readers.

Lots of great ideas to be used as suits your family. We have adopted the family meeting and it seems to be a hit. I'll refer back to this book in the future.

I had a rather unconventional childhood, with parents that became parents at the age of 16 and 18, but didn't have me until 17 years after my youngest brother was born. I was always fascinated with other peolpe's families--the one's where all the kids are kids at the same time. I guess I'm still trying to figure how families like that work. Or don't. Feiler started got the idea for this book during a rough patch in his own family life, which involved his wife and young twin daughters. He's done what he's always done when writing about the topic--epic and years long research. 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 all about trying new things, working together, shifting power and generally trying to be a team. 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.

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 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.

That moment when you found a book that you want (dream) to read and write at the same time :DAlhamdulillah bersyukur bisa baca buku ini :D“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”Ternyata ada kemiripan keluarga-keluarga yang bahagiaMereka percaya kebahagian adalah sesuatu yang mereka buat sendiri, bukan sesuatu yang mereka cari.Buku ini memberikan tips menjadi keluarga bahagia beserta hasil penelitian yang mendukung.Keluarga yang bahagia beradaptasi setiap saat karena perubahan itu pasti.Mereka juga suka ngobrol mengenai banyak halLiburan, bermain dan melakukan banyak aktivitas bersama :Dmasih banyak hal lainnya :Dhana suka 13 bab di buku ini tapi paling suka bagian bab 3 tentang the power of family mission statement :D

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 already think of us as a pretty happy family), but it might make things run more smoothly around here.

I really enjoyed this book! Feiler compiles research on various topics - conflict management/negotiation, allowances/financial management - and looks at how we can apply proven tactics from non-parenting/family domains of knowledge to improve how we function within our families. 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 copy for reference. We've already put into place one minor adjustment from the book.

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 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. In that sense, it reminds me of The Omnivore's Dilemma or The Happiness Project. 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.

Este livro é interessante e tem ideias práticas bastante boas. Nem todas são aplicáveis a todas as famílias, mas de certeza que todas as famílias podem beneficiar com alguma das ideias (práticas) apresentadas neste livro.É um livro que recomendo para todas as famílias, e que abre portas a outros livros e outras ideias, interessante. É um livro também para se ir trabalhando em casal. Sem dúvida um livro a não perder (principalmente para quem tem filhos).