Thursday, October 14, 2010

Parenting Book

Overview From Books A Million:
In Boys Should Be Boys, one of our most trusted authorities helps parents restore the delights of boyhood and enable today's boys to become the mature, confident, and thoughtful men of tomorrow. Boys will always be boys-rambunctious, adventurous, and curious, climbing trees, building forts, playing tackle football, and pushing their growing bodies to the limit as part of the rite of passage into manhood. But today our sons face an increasingly hostile world that doesn't value the high-spirited, magical nature of boys. In a collective call to let our boys be boys, Dr. Meg Meeker explores the secrets to boyhood, including - why rules and boundaries are crucial-and why boys feel lost without them- how the outdoors is still the best playground, offering the sense of adventure that only Mother Nature can provide- the essential ways to preserve a boy's innocence (and help him grow up)- the pitfalls moms and dads face when talking to their sons- why moody and rebellious boys are not normal-and how to address such behavior- how and when the "big" questions in life should be discussed: why he is here, what his purpose is, and why he is important Parents are blessed with intuition and heart, but raising sons is a daunting responsibility. This uplifting guide makes the job a little easier.
What I thought about it:
This was a book that was easy to read with a lot of good information most of it being common sense. One thing that bothered me was that I wanted the 7 Secrets to be stated and then information or reasons give about these secrets. This really wasn't the case. The seven secrets I think this book was trying to say is that boys need are: 1. to use there imagination and explore, 2. to know that they are loved, 3. guidance and direction from boyhood into manhood, 4.down time is important, 5. God is important, 6. Fathers are important and many times a boys hero and 7. time. Again since they are not listed I'm just giving you what I thought. I would recommend this book to anyone who is having a boy.
This book did make me question again do we really need cable in our house with a young child. Mostly because of the junk that is on tv, and because of the amount of time it sometimes takes out of ones life.
Many times the stories in this book reminded me of my brother, my cousin Z (my brother's best friend growing up), and Bo. Since I didn't know Bo as a child I just have to imagine him that way and relate to his childhood threw the stories he and his family tell me. But all of these boys have turned into great men. But everytime a story reminded me of them it was about being outside, adventure, imagination, and the time that was put in them as children, and the boundaries that were set and they more than likely followed.
One of my favorite quotes from the book was: "Every single boy is born for a reason. And every boy needs to know this. He is no accident. He exists to do something and to be someone unique." I can't wait to meet my little boy in 15 weeks or so and help him find out what he has that will make him uniquely him.

1 comment:

The Constant Complainer said...

Blakely, it's nice to meet you. I'm a first-time visitor to your blog from Cleveland. I saw your link on Jacki's blog and decided to click through.

I'm always looking for new blogs to follow and I enjoyed reading a few of your posts.

Will try to stop by more often.