As most of you probably know, I am the mama of four boys (6 year old twins and 4 year old twins) plus one princess! With that said, there was no way I was going to turn down the opportunity from Timberdoodle to review Raising Real Men by Hal & Melanie Young, who happen to be the parents of SIX boys!
The title alone spoke to me: Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys. I would like all the Biblical help and guidance that I can get in learning how to survive, teach and appreciate my boys!!! And, after reading the book from cover to cover, I was NOT disappointed! Take a peek at just one of the MANY pages of the book filled with all of my highlights! So much GREAT information and guidance!!!!
You can even read a sample chapter from Raising Real Men.
Raising Real Men is a thoughtful, practical, and enlightening look at how to raising these little young men that God has entrusted us with! The book provides guidance for those with boys of all ages of boys and addresses a plethora of boy-specific topics/issues. One of the main things that stood to me (and how I view my young boys) is their desire for power and control.
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God has placed in our boys a desire to be in charge, because one day they will be in charge. Today’s boys will be the fathers, and bosses, and elders, and statesmen of tomorrow. We’ve got to teach them how to submit to authority without destroying their leadership. |
And what about all the extra energy that boys seem to have?!?!
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God made that little boy energetic so one day he could go out and conquer the world. At least, one day he’ll have the gumption to support his family, minister in his church, be a pillar in his community. Right now, he just needs to learn some self-control. |
I was not really surprised to read about a boys desire for power or about how energetic they can be. I see it first hand on a daily basis! {grins} However, what excited me was how I could change my view and perspective of these God-given desires/traits and how I can focus them in a more positive light. What may seem burdensome about my boys today is the very thing that I need to mold and train so that they can use the very same traits and desires to be productive men of God in the future! I find that I constantly need to remind myself that:
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Our focus must be on leading our sons into godly manhood, not just trying to manage them to make our lives convenient and more pleasant. Raising Real Men p.25 |
I am so thankful that I was introduced to Raising Real Men! It is a jewel that I am certain I will refer to MANY times throughout my journey of raising my boys into “real men”!
{Photo of my rough n’ tough boys “resting” on their bean bag chairs, which have survived thousands of dives, flips, jumps, crash landings, and free-falls! Gotta love boys!}
MORE INFO: For more info on Raising Real Men, visit any of the links below.
BUY IT: You can purchase Raising Real Men directly from Timberdoodle! There is even a Raising Real Men audio book available for purchase!
Be sure to check out Timberdoodle’s parenting helps section for more great books and tools to help you on your journey as parents! While you’re there, be sure to sign up for their free homeschool catalog, which is chock full of tons of awesome homeschool resources!
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.
Dd for Dinosaur: MFW Kindergarten Printables
Raising Real Men
Thank you so much for the lovely review, Mama Jenn! I’m so happy our book was a blessing to you!
Melanie Young
Valerie McClintick
Love the quotes you pulled, I too started with a highlighter then gave up as I realized I was coloring the whole book 🙂 lol
That last photo is adorable, a boy sandwich!!
Blessings Friend!
Valerie