FROM THE AUTHORS

The success of my book "Five Love Languages" gave me a lot of joy. Thousands of people have not only read the book, they have internalized its principles and put into practice the advice given in it. I receive hundreds of letters from all over the world thanking me for helping them build a relationship with their companion. Since they try to speak each other's "native language," the emotional climate in the family has improved. And some even believe that the book saved their marriage.

I still teach marriage seminars, and I often hear, "When will there be a book on how to find a 'mother tongue' with children?" Many parents write to me that after getting along with their spouse, they tried to find the right way to communicate, their child's "love language," and it worked. But I've never worked with children—I counsel couples—so I just didn't dare to write a book about children.

But the publishers started talking to me about this project. I was considering their proposal while I contacted Ross Campbell, an old friend of mine. I asked him to be my co-author. Ross agreed, and this predetermined the birth of the book. For thirty years, Ross has been engaged in psychiatry, working mainly with children and adolescents. I always admire him as a specialist, I have learned a lot from his work and I always value our friendship.

Now that the book is almost ready, I am glad that we were able to combine our knowledge. We wrote each chapter independently, then editor Carol Streeter brought our ideas together. I really like what I got as a result.

My first book helped many people to improve their relationship with their spouses. I pray to God and hope that this book will help thousands of parents, teachers; everyone who, by the nature of their work, encounters children; to everyone who loves them.

Gary Chapman, Ph.D., Winston–Salem, North Carolina

January 1997

For more than twenty years, Gary Chapman and I have been talking and writing about love. Gary has helped thousands of couples find the deeper meaning of marital relationships. In the meantime, I wrote books and conducted seminars for parents, trying to support them in such an important and difficult matter as raising children. Although Gary and I have known each other for more than twenty years, until recently I had no idea that he and I were in the same business. I discovered this while reading his wonderful book, The Five Love Languages. It echoes my two: "How to Truly Love Your Child" and "How to Truly Love Your Teen." I especially liked the idea that every person has a native "love language". If we determine which "language" our spouse speaks and which we speak, this invaluable knowledge will help us to make our lives fuller and richer. The same is true for the relationship between parents and children. Each child speaks his or her own "love language". Gary and I are doing a lot of things, and when we both realized that, the real book came out.

I am happy that I had the opportunity to work with Gary. The fruit of our labors is the book that you hold in your hands. I am convinced that it will help parents and everyone who takes care of children to give their pets what they need most - the confidence that they are loved. So we set off to explore the five paths to a child's heart, the "five love languages," join us.

Ross Campbell, MD Signel Mountain, TN,

January 1997

FIVE PATHS G^ TO THE HEART OF A CHILD

Chapter One. Love is the foundation of everything