Barbara Wulf "Career Coach" (Orono, Minnesota United States) - See all my reviews
I found the support I was longing for by reading Empty Nest...Full Heart. I read Andrea Van Steenhouse's book a few years ago after hearing her interviewed on public radio. Now, as my daughter completes her senior year, I am reviewing it again for support again. As a personal/professional coach, I am leading book discussions for parents who are getting ready for the transition of "sending my child to college." If's full of realism, tears, and laughter...not that different from our of journey of parenthood.
Reviewer:
Natelle Brown (Morrison, CO USA)
One word describes this book: OUTSTANDING! Given these two statistics: (1) Every seven seconds, a baby boomer turns age 50, and (2) the divorce rate is up 16 percent for marriages of 30-plus years, this book is a MUST READ for all couples who fall into the empty nest/second half marriage category. Don't let the word "fighting" in the title make you think for a minute that this book is only for couples whose marriages are on shaky ground. It is for ALL couples wanting to build, keep, or return to a great relationship.
This book is the best of the best. It is the best of the book The Second Half of Marriage by David and Claudia Arp in which they identify eight challenges every marriage in the second half faces. And, it is the best of the strategies and techniques of the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP) developed by Stanley, Markman, and Blumberg. Not only do the authors suggest powerful, yet simple, ways couples can upgrade their communication and conflict resolution skills, they also stress the importance of building couple friendship, having fun, becoming empty nest lovers, and keeping the relationship strong.
Book Description
Are you or someone you know having trouble coming to grips with the letting-go of your children into the world - and with the subsequent changes life deposits on your doorstep? Empty Nest: One Mother's Journey chronicles the emotional transition of the author during her early empty nest days. Through poetry, diary excerpts, quotations, and the visual expressions of Australian artist Taz Phillips, this book will guide the reader in their awareness of self and understanding, and of personally moving forward with life after their children have left home.
About the Author
The Author Anne Meckstoth Menter worked outside of the home while raising her two children. However, she focused much of her adult life on being a mom. So, when her children left for college, she found herself drifting in the change, and began writing poetry to help her through this difficult emotional time. Because she believed that other mothers experience what she was going through, she decided to publish this book with the hope that it might help make the transition easier for some moms. She holds degrees from Vanderbilt University (BA), Yale University (MAT) and Arizona State University (MBA). This is her first book
Reviewer:
Robert E. Roy, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist (Daytona Beach, Fl United States) - See all my reviews
This book, You Can Be the Happy Mom of an Empty Nest, is the best I have found on the spiritual aspects of how people "grow up" from worshiping their parents to worshiping the Lord and becoming fully adult as Christians. Understanding this process helps us to grow spiritually ourselves and it helps us to not inadvertently interfere with this growth in our children.
