Book Review - The Blessing by John Trent, Ph.D. and Gary Smalley

The Blessing is centered around the concept of blessing your child(ren).  It stems from the story of Isaac, Jacob, and Esau. It concerns children receiving unconditional love and approval from their parents.  It's a pretty interesting concept, and I found the book to be very informative.  Trent lists the five elements of the blessing as: meaningful and appropriate touch; a spoken (or written) message; attaching high value to the one being blessed; picturing a special future for him or her; and an active commitment to fulfill the blessing.  The book goes on to explain the importance for a child to receive this blessing and the negative consequences that can arise if the blessing is withheld, intentionally or not.  Situations regarding single parent households, blended families, and how to overcome the lack of the blessing as an adult are all addressed.  I think this can be a very valuable book for parents, regardless of the ages of their children.

Related anecdote: I remember the time and the place almost exactly.  It was in a hotel room in (or near) Angola, Indiana.  I was in my second year of being a graduate assistant football coach.  It was Saturday morning and I was getting ready to leave for the stadium.  My dad gave me a card.  I'm not sure exactly why he picked that day; there wasn't anything special about it.  The card had a picture of Vince Lombardi on it and the text of his famous speech, "What It Takes To Be No. 1".  Inside, Dad had written a short message that reaffirmed his love for me, that he was proud of me, and that he was confident in me.  In short, Dad had encapsulated John Trent's concept of "The Blessing".  I'm not sure if he knew of the concept or not, but I still have the card, displayed in a frame on a shelf with my other football memorabilia.  It's my favorite thing my dad has ever given to me.

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