I started reading with scepticism, thinking this would be an old-fashioned stereotype kind of book. I'm a strong-minded career woman with a bit of an attitude at the best of times. It brought me to tears to realize how I had been showing my husband such disrespect, and not reverencing Christ in doing so. It is not about being a doormat or perpetually saccharin sweet or never confronting issues. The author encourages wives to respectfully confront unloving behaviour, and husbands to lovingly address disrespectful behaviour: "You can be right but wrong at the top of your voice." He does not diminish a wife's need for respect or a husband's need for love, but illustrates clearly, using many interesting stories, how love is usually a wife's primary need and respect is a husband's. I found the book very enlightening (although I should have understood this earlier) and very respectful of both men and women. Brilliant. Thank you Dr Eggerichs!

A mommy-friend recommended this book to me, and I was initially quite resistant. I ordered it from the library first, and was so taken with the whole approach that I promptly ordered it from Amazon so I'd have a copy to keep. This is a great book for the frustrated parent or tired parent or at-wits-end parent, or even the parent who just wants a few more communication tools up his/her sleeve.

Both this book and the follow-up "Ain't Misbehavin'" are so empowering in that they give positive ideas on ways to respond to children's behaviours when nothing else seems to work. I find the suggestions help me to feel more capable, more calm, and more in control of myself when my toddlers are not cooperating, and the positive effects on their behaviour are so powerful. I have a degree in psychology and find the psychology behind the approach particularly intriguing, but this book is written for all parents. It's a bit "cutsy" and overly-casual in the language at times, but it's a book I'll refer to again and again.

This is a great book for the busy parent who does not have time to read parenting books from cover to cover, and/or who needs instant advice. I have found it extremely helpful to have as a companion to "Honey I Wrecked the Kids" by the same author, and have recommended it to almost all of my friends who are parents. Both this book and "Honey I Wrecked the Kids" are so empowering in that they give positive ideas on ways to respond to children's behaviours when nothing else seems to work. I find the suggestions help me to feel more capable and less frustrated and angry when things are going not-to-plan at home or out-and-about with my toddlers. I can see it will be useful as they grow as well, as there are parenting tips for a wide range of age groups.

Though I found myself wondering about whether I liked this book as I was reading it, the last chapters make persevering through it so incredibly worth the journey. And that is what this book is - a journey. Like many journeys, you don't understand the point until the end. I found myself wanting to write out large portions of the last chapters in a journal, just to fully embrace it and absorb it and to remember what she is saying. It is powerful. It can be life-changing. For me, a Christian who is so frustrated with Christianity, it was.

This book is an easy, enjoyable read. I bought it for a family member and read it myself first. I disagree with the author's belief that all depression stems from childhood hurts inflicted (intentionally or unintentionally) by the parents. He refers to those supposed childhood hurts a fair bit. Other than that, though, this is an encouraging book that offers the reassurance that you are not alone in the way you feel and there is hope and light to look forward to, beyond the depression.