Review & Giveaway: “Your Family Constitution” by Scott Gale

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS, ANGIE OF ANNIE’S HOME AND MAIA LEDOUX!  THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED!

Ever have a fight or argument with your kids that’s so bad you think it can’t be fixed?  Ever have a day where the divide gets bigger, and the behaviors get worse, but you don’t know how to fix it?

That’s what happened one Mother’s Day weekend in 2007 to the Gale family.  A non-compliant 9 year old sparked Scott Gale into an argument, words exchanged that were not good, and a fun family outing was ruined.

Mr. Gale didn’t leave it there, though.  He knew that he couldn’t go on this way with his children; it was pushing them apart.  Aware of how little time he had left before his eldest son became a teen, he did something about it.

After reading lots of parenting books and guides, he stumbled upon an idea after playing fantasy football.  He was reading his league’s constitution – a document designed to remove “confusion and emotion from the decision-making process” – and it hit him!  What his family needed was a constitution of its own!  (See? All the time your hubby spends doing that is not necessarily wasted!)

In “Your Family Constitution: A Modern Approach to Family Values and Household Structure,” Mr. Gale guides you step-by-step through his failed attempts, earliest successes, and the entire process by which his family designed its constitution and how they manage it through the year.  What I got out of it was a lot of practical advice, in terms of:

• How to calmly and thoughtfully plan disciplines and rewards that allow children to blossom.
• Ideas for structures (the constitution, meeting) to keep the rules up-to-date and fair.
• Strategies for eliminating tension, arguments, and day-to-day stress.

I really enjoyed this book and, like I said, easy read – large print, lots of heading, cartoons salted throughout.  This is a great read, and very guy-friendly too.

That leads me to this week’s giveaway! After sending a review copy, Mr. Gale kindly offered to send 2 copies of “Your Family Constitution” to two lucky winners.   Here are the rules:

To enter, you must leave a comment with your email no later than midnight, Eastern Standard Time on Monday, 11/23/09.

For additional entries, you may do any of the following AND comment what you did:

• Retweet for ONE additional entry. (Please provide your tweet link!)
• Subscribe (new subscribers only) for ONE additional entry.
• Blog about this contest for ONE additional entry.
• Get a friend to enter for TWO additional entries.  (Please let us know who your friend is in comments).

Good luck!  I look forward to seeing your entries and hearing your thoughts on this book!