Book Review—Love Her Well

Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Love Her Well by Kari Kampakis, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Love Her Well
Author: Kari Kampakis
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: August 18, 2020
Genre: Christian Living/Parenting

Moms are eager for tips and wisdom to help them build strong relationships with their daughters, and Kari Kampakis’s Love Her Well gives them ten practical ways to do so, not by changing their daughters but by changing their own thoughts, actions, and mind-set.

For many women, having a baby girl is a dream come true. Yet as girls grow up, the narrative of innocence and joy changes to gloom and doom as moms are told, “Just wait until she’s a teenager!” and handed a disheartening script that treats a teenage girl’s final years at home as solely a season to survive.

Author and blogger Kari Kampakis suggests it’s time to change the narrative and mind-set that lead moms to parent teen girls with a spirit of defeat, not strength. By improving the foundation, habits, and dynamics of the relationship, mothers can connect with their teen daughters and earn a voice in their lives that allows moms to offer guidance, love, wisdom, and emotional support.

As a mom of four daughters (three of whom are teenagers), Kari has learned the hard way that as girls grow up, mothers must grow up too. In Love Her Well, Kari shares ten ways that moms can better connect with their daughters in a challenging season, including:

• choosing their words and timing carefully,
• listening and empathizing with her teen’s world,
• seeing the good and loving her for who she is,
• taking care of themselves and having a support system, and more.

This book isn’t a guide to help mothers “fix” their daughters or make them behave. Rather, it’s about a mom’s journey, doing the heart work and legwork necessary to love a teenager while still being a strong, steady parent. Kari explores how every relationship consists of two imperfect sinners, and teenagers gain more respect for their parents when they admit (and learn from) their mistakes, apologize, listen, give grace, and try to understand their teens’ point of view. Yes, teenagers need rules and consequences, but without a connected relationship, parents may never gain a significant voice in their lives or be a safe place they long to return to.

By admitting her personal failures and prideful mistakes that have hurt her relationships with her teenage daughters, Kari gives mothers hope and reminds them all things are possible through God. By leaning on him, mothers gain the wisdom, guidance, protection, and clarity they need to grow strong relationships with their daughters at every age, especially during the critical teen years.

Buy your copy here!

My Thoughts:

Sometimes I request a book for review because it sounds interesting—and sometimes because I think it might be helpful. Love Her Well was one of the latter. I currently have three daughters. One is an adult; the other two are quite young. For several years now, I have had a very good relationship with my oldest daughter, and hope to have the same with the younger ones as they mature, so I hoped to glean some wisdom from this book.

There are 10 chapters in this book, each one elaborating on one point in a list of “10 ways to find joy and connection with your teenage daughter.” This list, in itself, is very helpful. A few of the points are to choose your words (and timing) carefully, make your relationship a priority, enjoy her, laugh often, and have fun, and pray for her and empower her through faith. Actually, these points, in themselves, apply to raising sons as well as daughters!

Though all these points are very good to keep in mind, and apply equally to all our children, I struggled somewhat with the book itself. For many, if not most, modern mothers, it would apply well. However, it just didn’t resonate with me very much. Why? Because most of the book seemed to presume that all teenage girls will be going to school, which creates many problems socially, which is what the mother needs to help them through. I simply can’t relate to very much of the book, because we have always homeschooled our children, and thus avoided these issues.

Even though much of this book did not speak to me, there were a number of points that stood out. It was comforting to read that, “Every child is just one decision away from stupid, one decision away from making you look like the worst mother on earth.” (So nice to know I’m not alone!) I also appreciate the reminder that “You can’t control your daughter, but you can control your attitude, actions and choices,” and “God is found in the present. Not in the future, not the past, but the present.”

At the end of the book is a list of 50 prayers to pray for your daughter (or son). I should print these out and keep them handy!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions expressed are mine alone. I was not required to write a positive review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kari Kubiszyn Kampakis is an author, blogger, and national speaker from Birmingham, Alabama. Her books for teen girls, 10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know and Liked: Whose Approval Are You Living For?, have been used widely across the country by teen youth groups and church groups to empower girls through faith.

Kari’s work has been featured on the TODAY Show, TODAY Parents,Yahoo! News, EWTN, Proverbs 31, Ann Voskamp’s blog, The Huffington Post, and other national outlets. She and her husband, Harry, have four daughters and a dog named Lola. Learn more by visiting www.karikampakis.com or finding Kari on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

CONNECT WITH KARI: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(2) winners will receive a print copy of Love Her Well by Kari Kampakis!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway will begin at midnight August 17, 2020 and last through 11:59 PM EST on August 24, 2020. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

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