Raising Real Men

If you know my boys, you know they are ALL boy. They know how to get dirty, and they know how to really PLAY.

They love to turn hugs in to wrestling matches...


They love to play "war"





and to protect their little sisters house...


They love playing baseball (or any sport) and being "competitive"





They enjoy "playing in the dirt" with Daddy





They love adventure and heading to the "high seas"


They love climbing to the top of EVERYTHING and scaring Mom to death





All in all, they just love being BOYS!

BUT, they scare me to death! They scare me with their adventure, yes, but I am also scared because I want them to one day be MEN. Thanks to Hal and Melanie Young's book, Raising Real Men, I now see that all this adventure and scaring me to death is natural, and very NECESSARY for them to become real men. Boys naturally thrive on adventure and competition. It is sad that todays society attempts to stifle this natural desire for boys. It is very refreshing to read a book that reminds me that my boys are normal and I should not stifle their natural desires of adventure. Instead, I should embrace and encourage it. Their desire to compete and be the best at all they do may be just the trait they need on the mission field one day, or fighting for our country, or searching for some medical breakthrough. Or, most importantly, their desire to be the best and to lead the way, will be just what they need to lead their family one day. It's important that I teach them to use all this energy and all their daring desires in the right ways so they can lead their family to serve God one day.

In the first half of the book "we talked a lot about the things boy do naturally that drive us crazy...unless and until they are molded and shaped into the manly virtues."

In the second half of the book they "talk about the things we want boys to do that drive them crazy...unless and until we help them see the purposes, the goals, and the principles involved"

So, all I have to do now is take all this adventurous play my boys enjoy so much and shape them and mold them into the men they need to be.

In some ways, we are seeing this with Paul. He enjoys helping Mom with groceries...


Or reading a book to his little sister...



He is growing up to be a real MAN who can lead and be manly in a Godly way. HIs biggest desire right now is to be like Daddy. He wants to be a real man. He wants to be a leader in all he does.

This book is not a list of "do's and dont's" It's more of a guide and an encouragement to read your Bible and search for yourself what a real man should be. Hal and Melanie have 6 boys, so they have definitely "been there, done that" and they give some great words of encouragement and gentle Biblical advice on raising boys to become men.

If you have boys this is a MUST read book. I plan on reading it again and again to gain more insight and feel encouraged.

You can purchase the book through TIMBERDOODLE--here.

You can also find other great Biblical parenting books at TIMBERDOODLE--here

And, don't forget to take a look at all the great products TIMBERDOODLE offers and order their catalog here

Now, if I can just find a book that will help me as much with my baby girl...girls bring a whole other set of challenges!

Disclosure: I received "Raising Real Men" for free in exchange for an honest review. I received no other compensation and all opinions are my own.