What do you think?
The Joy of Children
On their wedding day in November 1998, Gerry and Mary Robinson would never have thought they would have 10 children nine years old and younger before their 11th anniversary. Yet, that is exactly what happened. In what can only be called a miracle, their family grew in record time, and the fun that came along with it is a story for the ages. This is their story. It is a testament to how children bring joy to the family, and how God has a loving part in all of it. The stories are hilarious and the lessons life long. This is a great read for all couples, whether they be dating, engaged, or married.
Quote from Dr. Theresa
The Joy of Children is a candid, funny, first person account of a family that lives the meaning of “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” and never seem to want for their “daily bread.” Gerry and Mary Robinson and their beautiful family are living proof that God is never outdone in generosity. In addition to being a wonderful tribute to the joy of children, this book is filled with insights about the joy of marriage. The Robinsons' inspirational story illustrates that family life is not always easy but it can be consistently joyous when families commit themselves to complete, trustful surrender to Divine providence.
About Dr. Theresa Farnan; Theresa is the Co-Author of the Where Did I Come From? Where Am I Going? How Do I Get There? and Consultant to the USCCB committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.
Quote from Dr. Theresa
The Joy of Children is a candid, funny, first person account of a family that lives the meaning of “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” and never seem to want for their “daily bread.” Gerry and Mary Robinson and their beautiful family are living proof that God is never outdone in generosity. In addition to being a wonderful tribute to the joy of children, this book is filled with insights about the joy of marriage. The Robinsons' inspirational story illustrates that family life is not always easy but it can be consistently joyous when families commit themselves to complete, trustful surrender to Divine providence.
About Dr. Theresa Farnan; Theresa is the Co-Author of the Where Did I Come From? Where Am I Going? How Do I Get There? and Consultant to the USCCB committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.
122 pages, Paperback
Published June 27, 2016
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
August 19, 2017
I almost feel badly rating this book 2 stars, and writing the following review. The reason for being torn is that I applaud the author and his family, and would love to see more families discovering--and our culture as a whole REdiscovering--the joy of children. But this is a review of the book, not the concepts behind the book.
The book is shockingly short. The book description indicates 177 pages, yet 1 out of 3 pages it seems includes a picture. Additionally, the text is spaced (i.e.: blank space between paragraphs, etc.) so as to "stretch" the contents. I read this in about 50 minutes. That wouldn't have been a problem, had I not paid $7 for it.
Additionally, the book would have been well served by a professional writer and/or editor. It reads like a well-written middle school report on "What I Did for My Summer Vacation." The whole book follows the pattern: "Then I cried when our fourth was born, and we had 4 children under four in four years of marriage....then I cried when our sixth was born, and we had six children under six in six years of marriage." This pattern is regularly interspersed with an "experience dump." Literally: "Then there was the time the kids refused to wear diapers...then there was the time the cow was in heat," etc. There is no building of a story, no weaving details together to draw the reader in. In short, the writer continually states: our children bring us so much joy, yet I never FELT HOW they did. I was never pulled into the joy of the family. This is why I say a professional writer could have taken this story and done much, much more. Many of the experiences related were just normal parenting experiences. To the author, these experiences were multiplied by 11, making them intense, but to the reader they were just, well--parenting. Much could have been edited out, while expanding on some of the more unique experiences, and the result would have been a more captivating, less amateurish product. Frankly, this is the type of product that is found in the Kindle Unlimited section.
The book was not worth $7. Kudos to the author/dad and to the family, but if you buy the book, don't expect a professional product.
The book is shockingly short. The book description indicates 177 pages, yet 1 out of 3 pages it seems includes a picture. Additionally, the text is spaced (i.e.: blank space between paragraphs, etc.) so as to "stretch" the contents. I read this in about 50 minutes. That wouldn't have been a problem, had I not paid $7 for it.
Additionally, the book would have been well served by a professional writer and/or editor. It reads like a well-written middle school report on "What I Did for My Summer Vacation." The whole book follows the pattern: "Then I cried when our fourth was born, and we had 4 children under four in four years of marriage....then I cried when our sixth was born, and we had six children under six in six years of marriage." This pattern is regularly interspersed with an "experience dump." Literally: "Then there was the time the kids refused to wear diapers...then there was the time the cow was in heat," etc. There is no building of a story, no weaving details together to draw the reader in. In short, the writer continually states: our children bring us so much joy, yet I never FELT HOW they did. I was never pulled into the joy of the family. This is why I say a professional writer could have taken this story and done much, much more. Many of the experiences related were just normal parenting experiences. To the author, these experiences were multiplied by 11, making them intense, but to the reader they were just, well--parenting. Much could have been edited out, while expanding on some of the more unique experiences, and the result would have been a more captivating, less amateurish product. Frankly, this is the type of product that is found in the Kindle Unlimited section.
The book was not worth $7. Kudos to the author/dad and to the family, but if you buy the book, don't expect a professional product.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review