Just finished this book last week.
I have decided however that Michelle Duggar is super human.That's the only explanation I can come up with.
Not only does she home school her 18 children, but they also have home church.It's just fascinating reading how they got to this point... why they have chosen to live in this way.
Before reading an excerpt from her book below, keep in mind that she is always either pregnant or nursing a baby. AND, she has 18 children to get up each morning to. AND when she says she has teenagers, well, she most likely has one of every single age. Sure, she has trained them well but as any parent knows, that job is never done.
Pg. 147 from Michelle:
"As our children grow older, we spend long hours with them, sharing heart-to-heart talks, sometimes into the wee hours of the morning.... We know when we hear a soft knock on our bedroom door shortly after our family's evening Bible time that there will be another late-night heart-to-heart talk. We welcome the knock....We have both sat through hundreds of these special late-night sessions with our listening ears on, as well as our pajamas, as a very intent young communicator begins a long session of mostly one-sided conversation."
This is wonderful, but in reality, HOW DOES SHE DO ALL OF THIS?
How does she have the continual strength
and good nature about her??
This book also has their family recipes here and there all throughout the book, a floor plan of their 7000 square foot home they built themselves, quotes by their children, answers to their most often asked questions, and little pictures throughout.
Although their life style is way beyond my reach, there are parts throughout the book that I can so relate to. For example, Pg.141,
"One day we were driving down the road when all of our children were small and buckled into their car seats. Jim Bob looked back at all of those little faces and said to Michelle, "These are the best days of our lives and we don't even know it!"
Some of her other words of wisdom:
"...getting mad at our children doesn't cause them to behave the way we want them to. When we unleash anger, we provoke our children to anger. And anger is destructive."
In my opinion Michelle Duggar has her priorities in order. She says she tells her children over and over: "You can gain all kinds of training, but no matter what skills and talents you possess, if you do these two things you'll be successful: first, love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and second, love your neighbor as yourself."
Then she adds in her book, "If our children learn those two things while they're under my tutelage, then I've been successful. And they will be too."
A very wise mother she is.
5 comments:
Ohhhhh, I want to read this, it sounds good!
Those are true words of wisdom. I just read that first quote today in my BYU online class. That to put the Kingdom of God first sets our priorities in life & my favorite, if we understand what H.F. wants for us, we'll find success because His will would be our will and that gives us the motivation & determination to reach our goals in life. Good thoughts. You & I seem to travel the same brain wave train. We utilize different resources, but in the end we unveil the true principles of happy life.
What methods of discipline do they use. Do they hit? I've always wondered.
Oh no, I don't think they hit at all. She stressed often in their book that they teach by example. One of their family rules is: "Never raise a hand to hit." There are many examples in their book about teaching self control, rather than parent control. Another quote from her: "We strive to praise their good character qualities 10 times more than we correct them. That means overlooking some of their shortcomings and complimenting every little positive thing we see."
What a remarkable woman to be able to raise so many children. I like the quote about not getting angry. I need to work on that one. Thank you for sharing this.
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