The Duggars: 20 and Counting

We count every one of our children as a blessing from God.  But we understand that supersize families are unusual these days, and we've grown accustomed to the stares, questions, and comments wherever we go.  We also understand that there's a lot of curiosity.

 
Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar love children and it's a good thing because their firmly held belief that children are blessings from God and that birth control is wrong have resulted in them having 19 children, to date!  After the birth of their fourth baby, the questions started.  "Are they all yours?"  "You do know how that happens?" "How do you support them all?"  Many of these questions have been answered through the TV series on the Discovery Channel, but Michelle and Jim Bob thought they would write a book to answer these questions and provide more of an insight into their busy family life.  Along with sharing their religious beliefs and financial plans, they include their family history, how they "train and correct" the children, and organizational tips.  Readers also get to see plans for their 7,000 square foot house and family recipes.


Many days I climb into bed, exhausted from parenting four children all day.  I can not imagine having 19.  Since the Duggar family has been brought into the spotlight, I've wondered, "how do they do it?"  I watched the TV series and was interested in the organization of the household as well as their methods of raising the children.  This book provides even more information on those topics, tips that readers can use.  I really enjoyed reading this book, not only because of the tips, but for the reassurance that it doesn't matter if you have 4 or 19, that, yes, it's hard, but you can survive and enjoy it!  It's easy to see they love each one of their children and the life they have together.  I think it's important for a reader to approach this book as a parenting book instead of a book about celebrities because that is how the Duggars wrote it.  My initial concerns that this would be a feeding of the media frenzy were laid to rest by the end of the book's introduction.

By the way, did you know that their kitchen pantry has a roll up garage door that opens to the driveway so that they can get their groceries from the car right into the storage area?  That is some smart thinking and just so cool! 

I give The Duggars: 20 and Counting 4 out of 5 pieces of Bacon.

The Duggars: 20 and Counting was written by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, published by Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc.