by Amy K. Bredemeyer
sorry about Monday missing out. It's been busy here. Enjoy!
It took me a while to get around to reading Little Family, Big Values, partly because I didn't know it existed. They certainly don't push it like Jon & Kate or the Duggars mention their books. But, I happened to find out about it and put in a request at my local library.
I didn't like this book as much as the others I have reviewed on this blog. I think part of that is because the anecdotes used in this book seem very situational, instead of "the way it is" which is the feeling I got from the Gosselins and the Duggars. Most of this is strictly written in chronological order as it is addressed in the book, with a few exceptions.
1. Amy coaches soccer. She has coached multiple teams. She has never actually played organized soccer. Similarly, It was interesting to read about how Zach had organized the Grasshogs to compete in the DAAA Games (basketball and soccer, specifically) in 2006. He kinda started to do the same thing for the World Games in 2010, before his dad kinda took over and made it happen.
2. I wonder how common it is to have so much pride in your parents and family. Here, it's clear that they all stand up for one another and see nothing strange about their family life. We know the Duggars only feel part of this... although there are plenty of kids who approve of their parents doing what they are, they also are well aware that they are different from the typical family and don't make an effort to "fit in" like the Roloffs do.
3. There is a section about being there for your family whenever there is an important event happening in one's life. It goes on to give an example of a time the family spent much of the Christmas holiday by Zach's bedside after a surgery. Now, this takes me by surprise when you consider Matt not going to the hospital for one of Zach's more recent operations, and the fact that Zach and Jeremy didn't go to the start of the Dwarf Olympics, either.
4. Matt's mom mentions that in their family, it was her job to teach humbleness and her husband's job to teach self-esteem. I thought this was interesting, and the Bible verses mentioned include Proverbs 16:18 and James 4:6.
5. I didn't realize how difficult it is for little people to become parents. It's mentioned in the book that they know of no other families who have had four children naturally and only a few who have had twins.
6. They've talked about this on the show as well, but the whole idea that Matt built all of the fun things on his property as part of his own fantasy was kinda reminiscent of Michael Jackson's Neverland...
7. I thought that Amy had a great way of defining commitment (p 31). It "comes from within a person of high character that motivates that person to stick by his or her word and convictions no matter what the personal cost" is how it starts out, and then there's a lot of good clarifications and examples.
8. When Amy was pregnant with Jeremy and Zach, a doctor recommended having a selective reduction. I never really considered people would do that for just two babies... but I understand that the risk for little people is much greater than that of the average-sized woman. It makes me wonder if average-sized women ever do decide to "not have" twins when pregnant with two babies... that makes me sad.
9. There's a part in the "integrity" section about how Amy made Jacob return a pack of gum to a grocer store and apologize to the manager. Okay. However, it follows that with Matt giving aggravation pay to neighbors who had messy yard after people came to the Roloff pumpkin patch but parked on others' properties. That's not too bad. But right after that Matt talks about praying about how he hopes a cashier will give him the wrong change or a movie theater will charge him less than they're supposed to, all so that he can correct the person and be an example to his children about living life with integrity. Good for him for not pocketing the extra money, but I don't think you should hope for someone to do their job wrong so you can correct them and be that example...
10. It may be a short and sweet fact, but I found it interesting that the zipline on their property is 860 feet long. The longest one I've ever done has probably been 40 feet. Apparently I need to find a cooler one to try, LoL.
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