Raising Real Men, Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys~Review

As an only child and a woman, sometime raising my three boys leaves my head spinning. 

I wasn’t around boys much when growing up, well, I was but, not this much, and well, it was different.  I actually got along better with the boys, but raising them?  You mean they should be having a wrestling match while I attempt to type this? 

Oh, but that is boys for you.  God made them that way, and yes, as a mom we have to appreciate that, because that same gene will be what makes them want to protect women and children as adults.

There are many days I wonder how I will survive motherhood to three boys…

• The kitchen science experiments that leave canning lids stuck in the ceiling.
• The pet pack rat that has adopted us
• The boundless energy that makes my head spin.
• The “boy” noises".

Well, you get the point…

Raising Real Men~Surviving, Teach and Appreciating Boys by,  Hal and Melanie Young have six boys, and in this book is the Christian Guide to raising boys.  They have the experience and Biblical knowledge.  It is “A Practical Guide To Equipping The Hearts And Minds OF Boys Without Losing Your Own”. 

I agree, I am so glad to have been given this book to review.

I learned something very important from this book…Boys need Heroes to look up to and not super heroes.  They need Christian heroes, historical heroes, and more.  They need role models who are worthy of that title.  Hal and Melanie go in depth as to the whos, whys and hows.  I appreciated this, as I knew it, but really had a hard time with the hows.  Their daddy is a “hero”, but they also need other examples.

After reading this book, I now understand so much better why they do what they do…

• Catching buckets full of frogs
• Turning june bugs loose in the house
• Not noticing that they are playing in a sand box full of cat poo… (they are having fun and don’t see to notice that horrid smell)

I have also gained discipline ideas….

There are many rods to be used:

Hard work is a must for boys.

They must feel needed, and sometime creative work—

• moving a load of sand from one area of the yard to another.
• Building fence with dad
• Climbing a tree to hang a bird feeder

You want to know my biggest problem homeschooling right NOW?

“Why do I have to know this anyway?”

Boys perceive the world of knowledge differently.

Hal and Melanie explain how boys think when learning something below:

“Often they need more than facts, they need the principles and reasons which undergird them.  Why is this fact important? What is the purpose for studying this material at all?  Will it ever be useful, or are we just collecting data to archive in our brains?” page 164

Boys can be gentle…Philip is the only one who can trim our 2 year old’s finger nails.

Throughout the book, there are scripture references for the reader to further their thoughts. I appreciated this and will be pouring through all of this many more hours between now and when my great-grandchildren are raised.  (my oldest child is just 12)  In other words, this is a great book for parents and grandparents.

Raising Real Men, Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys is the 2011 Book of the Year from the Christian Small Publishers Association.

Raising Real Men, addresses issues that moms may not understand and issues that dads will also struggle with.

• What roles are men’s roles?
• How should we guide and train?
• Public School or Homeschool?
• War and Peace
• Rough Play
• and more.

You will want to be sure to check out all the “boy toys” from Timberdoodle once you read this book. For more biblical parenting helps, take a look here. 

Legal Disclosure:
As a member of Timberdoodle’s Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of Raising Real Men in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.