When I was pregnant, I used to daydream about the daughter I just knew we were going to have. My husband was the only boy in his family of four sisters (needless to say, sharing the bathroom for them was a nightmare!) and I was convinced that someday I would be having a daughter to shop with, have “girl talk” with, and enroll in dancing lessons.
And then? I gave birth to the most precious, perfect-for-me- little boy I have ever laid eyes on. And then? I totally freaked out after bringing him home and thinking to myself that I knew nothing about little boys and what made them tick. Looking back, it’s laughable. At the time, I was terrified of screwing up. There would be so much ground to cover in raising him up to be a young man with all of the positive qualities I want him to have to be happy…character, integrity, and the list goes on and on. When I started working in my aunt and uncle’s Christian bookstore a couple of years back, I saw a book on the shelf entitled 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter. Browsing through it, I wished that someone would have written this for parents of young boys. Thankfully, Vicki Courtney did not leave us moms of boys out and now 5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Son
If you are raising a son, you need this book. Here’s why: The world is going to tell your son many, many things about how he should behave. You know you’ve heard the saying, “boys will be boys”. It seems like undesirable behavior is almost always excused or not made a big deal of for this very reason. I don’t know about you, but I want better for my son. I want my son to be self-disciplined enough to know what’s not a positive influence in his life and what is. I want him to be able to make wise decisions and consider others. But also? I want him to enjoy being a boy.
Throughout the book, Courtney touched on subjects you will inevitably face when raising a son….from having THE TALK, friends and peer relationships, taking responsibility for self, and so much more. You may have read many, many books on raising boys (as have I), but this book is so candid and down to earth that I gleaned much more from it. And if you think this book is about emasculating your son, think again. So many times I have picked up books on raising a boy that preach to the choir about their bad behavior, or how they “should” act that, quite frankly, sounded as if little boys should strive to be more like little girls. Those books were no help to me.
If you’re in the market for a great book on raising up men of character to be independent adults, this is it, hands down.
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