Book Review: How to Love Your Crazy Family

You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence~ Acts 2:28

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary a family is defined as…

 A group of people who are related to each other

Nice try, Merriam-Webster, but your definition utterly fails to capture the beautiful and occasionally chaotic nuances of family.

Family is where we learn to navigate the complexities of life and relationships; it’s the place we learn to give and receive love. Family is where our most fundamental beliefs and values are formed and where much of our future purpose is determined. Whatever we learn about God from our families will either be the bridge to a healthy future relationship with God or an obstacle we must overcome to have a meaningful connection with Him. 

 Family is our first community and, as in every community, there are joys and frustrations. There is joy because family is where we know and are known. Within marriage and family there is the potential to be loved and understood on a level that is impossible in any other setting.

 Any scenario with so much potential for intimacy is bound to have its share of irritations and frustrations. It is within the boundaries of marriage and family that our flaws are exposed and our rough edges (hopefully) smoothed away. This process of growth inevitably creates opportunities for tension to develop.

I recently read a book that beautifully captures the joy as well as the challenges of family life: How to Love Your Crazy Family: 52 Quick Reads for No Ordinary Days by Angela Howard. The book is a delightful and easy read that takes an honest and refreshing look at nearly every aspect of marriage and parenting.

The first half of the book is dedicated to parenting. Angela shares authentically and sometimes hysterically about her own experiences as a Mother of two. Angela deals with issues every Mom can relate to. She writes insightfully on the difficulty of letting go as kids approach the teenage years and comically portrays the ongoing battle most of us mothers have with perfectionism. She strikes an excellent balance between the need to improve our parenting skills and accepting the reality that no earthly parent is going to get it right all the time.

The second half of the book is dedicated to the subject of marriage and was my favorite part of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed Angela’s honest approach to some of the challenges she has faced in her own marriage, including the ins and outs of two imperfect people creating a life together and her husband’s diagnosis with bipolar disorder.

Healthy families are the cornerstone of a healthy society and a thriving church community. An endeavor as worthwhile as family is worth whatever effort it takes to get it right. I highly recommend Loving Your Crazy Family as a great read that will empower and encourage you to be the best parent and spouse you can be.

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it~1^st Corinthians 3:10 ESV

Angela's book is available for $4.99 from the Amazon Kindle store.