Book excerpt: This classic text, written by a father-and-son team, looks at the nuclear family as a social institution and provides guidance for interaction and adjustment during dating, engagement, and early marriage. The authors treat such practical matters as communicating, working through interpersonal differences, and growing in relationships within the family. They also discuss the impact of cultural expectations on family patterns and define ideal family roles developed in Scripture. Other topics covered include parenting, extended family relationships, finances, and nontraditional families. Now available in paperback.