What do you think?
Rate this book
Good Families Don't Just Happen: What We Learned from Raising Our 10 Sons and How It Can Work for You
Based on the knowledge gained from raising their own family, the authors detail principles and real-world experiences that any family—no matter the size, economic status, or cultural background—can use to develop a respectful, compassionate family. Single or new parents, and even those with experience, benefit from topics that include teaching values through example, instilling a love of learning, raising respectful and responsible children, and learning to celebrate the uniqueness of each family member—helping them understand the challenges, demands, constancy, and joyful benefits of parenting.
264 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1997
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 29, 2021
(Am only halfway thru, just jotting down notes while they're still fresh.)
Picked this book up at the neighborhood free library on a whim. Saw that it was signed by the author and that the family lives in Houston, cool. A family that raised 10 sons? Holy cow. Let's see what they got to say.
Right off the bat, it's clear that not everyone will identify with the values that this family holds. They're very religious and focus on a mother-and-father dynamic. The book does come across as preachy at times.
At the same time, their family values seem truly genuine and I think there are still valuable takeaways that are universal..
- Figure out what your values and priorities are, then make sacrifices elsewhere (ex: they value their faith and education, and all their boys go to an expensive parochial school, and in order to be able to afford that they don't eat out or watch cable, etc.)
- Love and acceptance are the foundation stuff that begins at home and with the parents' relationship with one another (obviously this looks differently for some families)
- See things from your child's view (ex: the parents went to every child's open house even though it wasn't new to them, it was new to the child)
More to come..
Picked this book up at the neighborhood free library on a whim. Saw that it was signed by the author and that the family lives in Houston, cool. A family that raised 10 sons? Holy cow. Let's see what they got to say.
Right off the bat, it's clear that not everyone will identify with the values that this family holds. They're very religious and focus on a mother-and-father dynamic. The book does come across as preachy at times.
At the same time, their family values seem truly genuine and I think there are still valuable takeaways that are universal..
- Figure out what your values and priorities are, then make sacrifices elsewhere (ex: they value their faith and education, and all their boys go to an expensive parochial school, and in order to be able to afford that they don't eat out or watch cable, etc.)
- Love and acceptance are the foundation stuff that begins at home and with the parents' relationship with one another (obviously this looks differently for some families)
- See things from your child's view (ex: the parents went to every child's open house even though it wasn't new to them, it was new to the child)
More to come..
May 18, 2008
Parenting advice with real credibility
The market is full of parenting how-to books. As a father of nine children, I've read a lot of them. Few pack the powerful credibility this book. Here is golden advice from the crucible of real life - dross all gone. Just the right mix of humor and seriousness. A great book!
The market is full of parenting how-to books. As a father of nine children, I've read a lot of them. Few pack the powerful credibility this book. Here is golden advice from the crucible of real life - dross all gone. Just the right mix of humor and seriousness. A great book!
August 26, 2008
My absolute favorite parenting book. I have read it and continue to read it often. It is not like many parenting books about what program the family follows but they have just lots of love, respect, and dedication to their 10 sons. I can't read a page without being inspired on how to do better as a mother.
June 21, 2009
Great parenting book! This Catholic family has raised 10 good boys. I just enjoyed how this book was less of a how to parent book but more like...these are the parenting principles we used and we think they would work for all people. I found myself agreeing with them in many, many aspects. They basically teach their kids responsibility, respect, and they love them unconditionally.
November 5, 2011
Having 4 boys, I knew I could learn from this family raising 10 boys! This was a great example of a family working together to instill values in their children and teach them how to be wonderful adults!
January 25, 2017
It's like sitting down to talk with a wonderful, experienced mother who can encourage you and offer insights on being a good wife and mother. I thoroughly enjoyed "spending time" with Cathy and her family as I read the book. I'm ready to put it into practice!
Read
January 19, 2017I remember being pretty impressed by this family and inspired.
September 4, 2024
Good Families Don't Just Happen provides personal practical advice regarding parenting and child-rearing from the real experiences of Catherine & Joseph Garcia-Prats as they navigate what comes with raising a large family.
My favorite aspect of this particular book is the positive approach and overall attitude the authors have adapted regarding the responsibility of parenting, marriage, and cultivating a positive culture within your family. Each author takes provides insight and advice from their own experiences as mother/father to their children giving the reader the opportunity to appreciate both perspectives from the parents and what they personally practice to instill strong values within their family. I admire the commitment, support, and understanding provided from each individual that contributes to the overall strengthen of their family as a unit.
Another point that stood out to me is the emphasis of organization and shared responsibilities as a means to progressing forward. Overall, I appreciate how this book presents the notion of raising a large family as something that is possible and provides tangible resources for others to incorporate into their own lives. Whether you’re raising 1, 5 or even 15 children, everyone can benefit from guidance and this book provides just that!
My favorite aspect of this particular book is the positive approach and overall attitude the authors have adapted regarding the responsibility of parenting, marriage, and cultivating a positive culture within your family. Each author takes provides insight and advice from their own experiences as mother/father to their children giving the reader the opportunity to appreciate both perspectives from the parents and what they personally practice to instill strong values within their family. I admire the commitment, support, and understanding provided from each individual that contributes to the overall strengthen of their family as a unit.
Another point that stood out to me is the emphasis of organization and shared responsibilities as a means to progressing forward. Overall, I appreciate how this book presents the notion of raising a large family as something that is possible and provides tangible resources for others to incorporate into their own lives. Whether you’re raising 1, 5 or even 15 children, everyone can benefit from guidance and this book provides just that!
June 21, 2009
I'd give this book 2.5 stars. What I didn't like was the poor/weird writing style (font changes from normal to cursive to bolded stuff all over the place), the poor organization of the book and the preachy tone of the book (it kept talking about what others do, but in the Garcia-Prats household it's so different, and the repeated usage of 'what a parent must do' really bugged me). But, if you can look past the bad writing and the annoying tone of the book, you can find a few good examples of parenting that you can use and apply in your own life, and you will find lots of reminders on general parenting stuff that matters (like being a good communicator, teaching by example, loving unconditionally, being consistent, etc.). Personally, I'd say that I appreciated the reminders of things I believe in and want to pursue as a parent. I also liked some of the few examples that were given of what they actually did (other than doing everything right). Other than that though, I thought the book was annoying, and didn't have a lot of info on how exactly they did what they did other than that they did it. Not a fan. But it wasn't bad.
March 15, 2008
Ugh! Enough with the religious asides, Jesus people! This book is a little slow but I figured it must be a fairly interesting life to have ten kids and maintain a seemingly healthy family structure. But I had to put it down after the third time my eyes glazed over during a paragraph about the Bible and God's love. I tried to be tolerant and say "That's ok for them, it's just not for me. I'll glean the secular insights from their experience." But I just couldn't take it anymore. And why should I waste my time with a book where I need to check out mentally every other page? There are plenty of good books like this that don't resort to mind-numbing religious/cult references to explain doing good in life. (sorry if that was harsh, it's only my opinion). I'll read those instead.
December 28, 2014
I read this book many years ago, but I recall it being quite helpful.
August 21, 2008
This is a neat family.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews