Review- Raising Real Men

I don’t know about any of you, but this mama freaks out often about how I’m doing raising my boy.  I question myself a lot. “Am I being to hard on him? Am I babying him? Do my words tear him down or build him up?”  I’m such a worrier!  So, when I received this book from Timberdoodle, I was hoping to glean some much needed insights in how I was doing.

Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys is a very practical guide for parents of boys written by a pair of “experts.” Authors Hal and Melanie Young boast a family of six boys and two girls. They admit that experience is their single greatest qualification and they draw on many personal stories throughout this book to illustrate their points. 

This book covers a wide range of topics and the challenges parents face. The subjects include:

• The importance of heroes in a boy’s life (including his father and Christ), 

• preparing your son for independence, 
• developing leadership qualities in your son, 
• cultivating an environment for learning at home,  

• skills for managing money, 
• the appropriate use of competition,

• encouraging your son to use proper manners, 
• and how to launch your son from the home ready to succeed.

So, here is my honest Teaching Mommy opinion.

Plus(es):

Style – Raising Real Men reads like a conversation overheard in the Young’s’ living room. The writing is very conversational and fast paced. Their advice is for both fathers and mothers and for parents of young boys and young men alike. 

Here’s a quote that I appreciated. When addressing the thought of allowing their sons to take risks and pursue adventure and how to handle the jitters the Youngs offered this advice: 

“It may be that mothers have a hard time discerning between when sons need comforting and when they need bucking up. Here’s a rule of thumb: If he hasn’t faced the trial yet, or he’s in the midst of it — encourage him. If he’s been to the wars and is limping home wounded — comfort him. Once the wounds are bound up, encourage him to rise and face the fight again.”

Tone – I greatly appreciated the Youngs’ tone throughout the book. They are equally humble and helpful, avoiding the trap of sounding preachy or pious. They also do a great job of giving practical advice while offering some guiding principles. But maybe what I appreciated the most is the frequent and thoughtful use of scripture to support their approach to parenting.

Wish(es):

Timeliness– I can’t say there is anything else that I want from this book.  All I can say is, I wished I had known about it sooner!!

Overall:

I strongly recommend this book to any mother and father raising boys. It has challenged me to think about some things differently and will serve as a guide for my husband and I for years to come.

Be sure to head over to Timberdoodle and check out Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys! While you are there you may want to also check out Boy-Friendly Outdoor Learning and other Parenting Helps products from Timberdoodle.