Book Review - The Person I Marry

How soon should you start to talk about marriage with your children?  The conversation can start very early with the book The Person I Marry: Things I'll Think About Long Before Saying "I Do" by Gary & Jan Bower.  It is a wonderful rhyme that gets your child thinking about who to marry.

"It's 'who' not what that makes a great wedding.

The clothing you wear and the flowers you carry

Don't matter as much as the person you marry.

After reading this book your child will know that the person they marry should be kind, courteous,  generous, thoughtful, considerate, steadfast, optimistic, honest, joyful,  able to laugh, forgiving, patient, faithful... Sounds like an impossible list of qualities to have in one person.   This is not so impossible when the one who is a ‘keeper’ serves the Lord.

“This person must be someone who will cherish me as Number Two.

Oh, I’ll be deeply loved, of course.

But I can’t be my partner’s source.

When everything is said and done,

God must be our Number One."

You can read this book all at once or read a few pages at a time to discuss each quality about your child’s future mate in more detail.    Make sure to take time to enjoy the beautiful oil paintings of children having fun.  The illustrations definitely enhance the rhyme.

This book could be used in your child's Sunday School class, but I see something even greater than just use in a youth class. Why not have a combined family Sunday School class that has the children and parents reading this book together? The adults, teens and children could all benefit by gathering around this book to help build a generation that understands God's design for marriage.

This book is definitely a keeper for my children’s library.  I borrowed it from the library and now I need my own copy.   My family and I will read this book through the years to plant wisdom about marriage. 

“I set my standards long ago

when I was just a little kid.

I set them high: I’m glad I did.

The vows I’ll say I mean to keep,

so I’ll look hard before I leap.”

Please visit the Bower Family Books website for more wonderful books like this one.

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