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Living with Our Children
307 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1928
3 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Lillian Moller Gilbreth
48 books9 followersLillian Evelyn Moller Gilbreth (May 24, 1878 – January 2, 1972) was an American psychologist and industrial engineer. One of the first working female engineers holding a Ph.D., she is arguably the first true industrial/organizational psychologist. She and her husband Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Sr. were efficiency experts who contributed to the study of industrial engineering in fields such as motion study and human factors. The books Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes (written by their children Ernestine and Frank Jr.) are the story of their family life with their twelve children, and describe how they applied their interest in time and motion study to the organization and daily activities of such a large family.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 6, 2025
This was actually my second read in under a year.
Gilbreth pacts so much vision, practical wisdom, and forgotten common sense into this that I wanted to read it again in order to 1) have a highlighted copy (I read it first on Internet Archive, if you are interested in reading it), and 2) to make sure I wasn’t missing any principles I had wanted to put into action.
I highlighted a LOT!
From the start, Gilbreth opens with clear writing and vision on what makes a family. I loved the examples she provides and the questions she poses that a couple planning to marry should ask themselves and each other (some great premarital advice right here).
A family is kind of like a business, she explains, and if you want to raise/be a successful family, why not turn to some of the truths and measures we use for a business’s success? Consider a vision of what you want your outcome to be so you know what you’re working towards each day. What are your starting assets, strengths, weaknesses? How can you build on them? Have you considered what a good human entails? Is it just character, or skill, or both? Are you regularly checking up to ensure progress, or, to determine if a better process is needed to reach your goal?
There’s so many more great questions, and then she proceeds to answer them methodically and precisely; for after all, this is the wife of the man who made the study of motion his life.
Topics covered: teaching babies, living with relatives, chore charts, socialization, being producers and not just consumers, money, raising adults and not children, understanding the need for law and order, helping your children to value learning and hard work, developing kids who have interests in various topics and skills, and SO MUCH MORE!
I truly can’t say enough about how awesome I think this book is. Sure, she uses some methods I won’t, but I agree with so many of her thought processes and the conclusions she comes to. The tool chest she provides you with through her questions (ask “why” all the time!), her insight for laying practical plans and achieving the goals you put in front of you are incredible. She truly has given careful thought to so many aspects of the family’s development, and I’m inspired to do so too. Because great families don’t just happen; they are planned.
My perspective and the way I think about family building (and other aspects of life too!) have changed for the better because of this book.
Now to putting it to practice!
Ages: 14+
Content Considerations: nothing to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide Content Considerations, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
If you’re considering a book or looking for a new title to read, check out my highly categorized shelves, read my reviews and Friend or Follow me to spiff up your feed with clean, wholesome, living books.
Gilbreth pacts so much vision, practical wisdom, and forgotten common sense into this that I wanted to read it again in order to 1) have a highlighted copy (I read it first on Internet Archive, if you are interested in reading it), and 2) to make sure I wasn’t missing any principles I had wanted to put into action.
I highlighted a LOT!
From the start, Gilbreth opens with clear writing and vision on what makes a family. I loved the examples she provides and the questions she poses that a couple planning to marry should ask themselves and each other (some great premarital advice right here).
A family is kind of like a business, she explains, and if you want to raise/be a successful family, why not turn to some of the truths and measures we use for a business’s success? Consider a vision of what you want your outcome to be so you know what you’re working towards each day. What are your starting assets, strengths, weaknesses? How can you build on them? Have you considered what a good human entails? Is it just character, or skill, or both? Are you regularly checking up to ensure progress, or, to determine if a better process is needed to reach your goal?
There’s so many more great questions, and then she proceeds to answer them methodically and precisely; for after all, this is the wife of the man who made the study of motion his life.
Topics covered: teaching babies, living with relatives, chore charts, socialization, being producers and not just consumers, money, raising adults and not children, understanding the need for law and order, helping your children to value learning and hard work, developing kids who have interests in various topics and skills, and SO MUCH MORE!
I truly can’t say enough about how awesome I think this book is. Sure, she uses some methods I won’t, but I agree with so many of her thought processes and the conclusions she comes to. The tool chest she provides you with through her questions (ask “why” all the time!), her insight for laying practical plans and achieving the goals you put in front of you are incredible. She truly has given careful thought to so many aspects of the family’s development, and I’m inspired to do so too. Because great families don’t just happen; they are planned.
My perspective and the way I think about family building (and other aspects of life too!) have changed for the better because of this book.
Now to putting it to practice!
Ages: 14+
Content Considerations: nothing to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide Content Considerations, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
If you’re considering a book or looking for a new title to read, check out my highly categorized shelves, read my reviews and Friend or Follow me to spiff up your feed with clean, wholesome, living books.
May 27, 2020
One of the most gentle and strong, challenging yet gracious parenting books I have read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews