Five Star Families
by Carol Kuykendall
I just recently finished reading this book, my Grandma gave it to me when Orion and I were engaged. And to tell you the truth I haven't even picked it up till now. But, expecting a baby this Spring has made me even more aware about the subject of family than I ever have been before. I want to soak up, read up, and study God's word all I can about raising a family and what it means to be a parent and have a family.
Orion and I have said to ourselves many times, "What do we know about families? We don't have kids yet." But, what this book taught me and opened my eyes to is that even though Orion and I are just the two of us (for now) we're a smaller family within the contents of a larger family.
Every newly engaged or married couple I think goes through the phase of deciding how they fit into the context of their larger and immediate families. Many questions arise like; Where will we spend the holidays once we're married? How will we prioritize family events once we're married? Etc. If you haven't questioned this at least once, I'd like to meet you and know your secret. I think it's taken Orion and I about two and a half years now to figure out how we fit, and how to prioritize family things now that we're married. There's probably no formula (although don't you wish there were) for how to do this, I think each couple and family is unique and it's up to you to figure out what works best for you as a couple first.
One thing that I have learned is that Orion and I are a family unit, just the two of us and now with a baby on the way we're thinking even more and more about what we want as a family and what kind of family we want to be.
I devoured this book in 3 days, I couldn't put it down or stop reading it. She covers everything in this book from parenting, motherhood, fatherhood, and the struggles that most families face at one time or another. The best thing is she talks a lot about how to move your family forward no matter what situation you're coming from or out of.
The Five Stars:
Love, Faith, Growth, Loyalty and Fun.
She explains them by writing this;
Love meet our greatest needs; fun makes us want to be together; loyalty and commitment connect us together; growth keeps us healthy; and faith give us hope and lights our way. pg.52
Isn't that a great statement? I love the way she sums it all up, and give you a clear picture of where your family should be going.
This book got me thinking more and more about what we want for our own family, how do we want to me as a family? Orion and I decided that we want to write a mission statement for our family and some family goals of where we want our family to be. I want to write it down, frame it and hang it somewhere we can always see it and keep it in perspective.
I really recommend this book to anyone, it give a fresh perspective on families and answers a lot of questions that you may have about navigating your own family situations. My only disclaimer; don't wait till you're married two and a half years to read it! :) Read it now, even if you aren't married or engaged. Read it because you're apart of a family and you want to understand it better or help move it in the right direction.
If you'd like to pick up a copy, you can get it really cheap on Amazon.com, click here. Happy Reading!
