Review: Relationship Cautionary Tales
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 27, 2013
Yes, these very short love stories are not what you'd expect. They are cautionary tales that lay out a number of real-life scenarios that happen every day in relationships.I think the biggest flaw of the book is that the stories are not presented in the right way. They would be enormously valuable as tools for parents to use to springboard conversations with their young pre-teen or young-teen sons and daughters about relationships and situations they may very well find themselves in one day.Parents should sit down with their sons and daughters, read the stories together and ask questions about them. Discuss these scenarios with your kids. What are the moral or right ways to respond to these situations? Who was in the right? Who was in the wrong? What SHOULD they have done?I think parents might have their eyes opened about what their children's true beliefs are.I think the book needs an introductory section that instructs parents how to use it. And maybe each story could be followed by a few suggestions for questions or discussion topics.I also think it needs to be put into a different category - not love stories, but one or more of the categories about teaching relationship skills and life lessons to pre-teens and young-teens.Even presented as they are, these stories do have an emotional impact, especially if read quickly, one after another.