"The 5 Love Languages of Teenagers: the Secret to Loving Teens Effectively" by Gary Chapman

ISBN: 978-0-8024-7313-4

Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages of Teenagers: the Secret to Loving Teens Effectively discusses how parents can help their teenagers make a smooth transition from childhood to adulthood by speaking the correct love language to their teens. Chapman explains that teenagers need to feel connected, accepted, and nurtured. Knowing a teenager’s love language helps to keep his “love tank” filled.
The five love languages are the same as Chapman’s previous books on love languages, but this time he focuses on how teenagers are changing and how they speak a different dialect of their language during this period of seeking independence and self identity. Each love language is explained and illustrated with examples, but the best part is that at the end of each chapter on a particular love language Chapman gives you a list of ideas on how you can implement that love language with your teen. Chapters on anger, dealing with teens when they fail, responsibility, and freedom are also helpful in providing ideas in showing your teenagers that you love them.  Chapman devotes a couple of chapters to single parents and blended families and how parents in these situations can best show love to their teens.
This book is also helpful to teachers in the classroom. Teachers are most effective when students are able to connect with them and when students feel loved. Each of the love languages discussed in Chapman’s book is easily adapted to the classroom. For example, the love language of quality time can be when a teacher takes time to listen and talk to students outside of class or takes extra time helping them with a concept. Another application for teachers is the section on rules which they can use to review what happens in their own classroom. Chapman recommends rules to be few, clear, and fair and that they should have clear and consistent consequences that are administered with love. Because teachers spend so much time with their students, The 5 Love Languages of Teenagers is a beneficial read.(reviewed by E.Myers, Upper School English & Literature Instructor)
DISCLOSURE: Complimentary copies of Gary Chapman's "The 5 Love Languages of Teenagers: the Secret to Loving Teens Effectively" were provided by Moody Publishers for the purpose of review by faculty of ACS.  Opinions expressed are solely those of the reviewer.  The faculty of Alamance Christian School will be studying various "5 Love Languages" books by Gary Chapman in in-service training.