Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching, & Appreciating Boys by Hal & Melanie Young

Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys by Hal Young

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Biblical, amazing, real, fresh, practical, helpful, encouraging...

These are just a few of the words I would use to describe this newly released book for parents of boys. Raising Real Men is written by Hal and Melanie Young who are parents of 8 children, the oldest 6 being boys. The daunting task of raising little boys into God-fearing men is more of an exciting adventure than a frustrating duty as shown in the pages of this book.

Hal and Melanie talk about the difference between boys and girls and give practical tips of how parents, Moms in particular, can raise boys to be strong and real men with out going crazy through the process. They address such issues as:

• boys and their play,
• the need for good heroes,
• when to comfort and when to encourage boys,
• responsibility and freedom,
• guns and weapons,
• obedience and authority,
• healthy competition,
• manners,
• finances,
• education and college,
• and the topic we like to avoid and blushingly call "the birds and the bees".

All the issues and topics in this book are approached with a Biblical mindset and their thoughts and convictions are well written out and shared with the reader in a kind and friend-to-friend manner. While Raising Real Men is also written from the view of a homeschooling family, I found all the concepts still applicable to those of us not homeschooling our children and those of us with smaller families or fewer boys. I know that not everyone who reads this book will agree with all of what the Youngs share, but I do think it is a book well worth any parent's time due to the thoughtful and thorough nature of the contents.

I personally give this book 5 stars, not because it is the most well written book I have ever read, but because it is one of the very few Biblical, honest, and refreshing parenting books I have ever read. While Hal and Melanie share openly about where they stand, they do not come across as forcing their beliefs down the throats of their readers nor do they overdose on tips and how-to's that can differ so much from family to family. Instead, I felt as if I were sitting in their living room, chatting with them as a couple about the journey of parenting boys.

My book is well highlighted, underlined, starred, and dog-eared. I appreciated much about each chapter, but my favorite chapter was titled "Love and War". In this chapter the did a tremendous job of talking about raising boys to be pure - from birth to marriage. They handled this topic with such dignity and respect all the while being open and honest. I was impressed with their approach in teaching their boys about the differences between boys and girls and how to handle specific situations dealing with this general subject.

As a parent of three children, wife of a pastor, and an avid reader and learner, I want to encourage all parents to read this book. Even if your husband won't read it, I still highly suggest mothers read it to get a better understanding on boys in general that Hal and Melanie so wonderfully explain. And if you happen to be a homeschooling parent, I recommend this book to you even more highly!

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I want to thank Hal & Melanie Young for the copies to review and giveaway.

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AUTHOR BIO:

Fresh from a state tax audit to prove that yes, they're all ours, Hal and Melanie Young are parents of six real boys and two real girls. They have homeschooled through seven high-risk pregnancies, three re-locations, two decades, and 181 degrees of longitude. Hal and Melanie have published articles with Homeschooling Today, Homeschool Digest, the N.C. Family Policy Council, the John Locke Foundation, and the Heartland Institute. The Youngs live in noisy familial bliss in North Carolina.  You can visit their website/blog at http://www.raisingrealmen.com/

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Bibliographic Information:

Title: Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching, And Appreciating Boys
Authors: Hal & Melanie Young
Publisher: Great Waters Press
Format: 256 pages, 6x9 inches, trade paperback
Publication Date: January 29, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-9841443-0-3
LCCN: 2009908989
Retail Price: $15.00

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GIVEAWAY!

Please visit my personal blog – From The Trenches Of Motherhood – on January 4th through 6th to enter a drawing to win a copy of this book.

If you have a boy, THIS is a book you NEED!