I have four boys.
I have four boys that are eight and under.
I have four boys that are eight and under that are extremely busy.
I have four boys that are eight and under that are extremely busy…
… who one day will all be men.
And I am blessed to be their mother.
Being their mother means learning to let go and let them be boys — boys that are adventurous, and daring, and competitive, and well, little warriors. I don’t let them go wild — there are boundaries — but I do let them embrace the boyhood years. And that means forts dug out in trees, and hanging from branches, re-enacting battles in the backyard, and building sets in the family room. There are afternoons spent reading about knights, and the Romans, and learning how to build slingshots and trebuchets.
They have important and valuable hearts.
And one day, a day that will happen sooner than expected, those wild boys will be men.
My prayer is that when they are grown that they will have the tenacity to live as kingdom warriors for the Lord — bold men who are unafraid to stand up for what is right and noble. Part of this means letting my boys, all four of them, embrace that wild heart that the Lord gave them. And it also involves giving them responsibility in life so that as grown men they understand responsibility and are not fearful of rising up to it.
Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young is a brilliant book that I’ve recently read regarding raising boys to become men. Let me tell you – I was extremely blessed by the sound Biblical principles that this book consistently draws it’s truth from. This book has encouraged me as a mother, and emphasizes how raising Godly men starts at home, and that starts with acknowledging who the Lord has made boys to be.
I’m laughing as I finish writing this — and here’s why — as I’m typing, my Elijah, who’s four, told me to watch his ‘mazing double jump. And that double jump consisted of him backing up, running full force and double jumping up onto my bed. He’s a risk taker. And that’s good.
I highly recommend reading Raising Real Men if you’re a mom of boys. I know the book will remain on my shelf next to my bed for many, many years. Now, if you’re like me and love the company, Timberdoodle (they were one of the first catalogs I ever read when I started homeschooling) you’ll want to check out their boy friendly toys. http://www.timberdoodle.com/Outdoor_Learning_s/1012.htm and if you haven’t ever had a copy of their totally awesome homeschool catalog click this link http://www.timberdoodle.com/Articles.asp?ID=139 to get a free one.
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.
11 comments
love this post…my sister has 3 sons…she cried when she found out about boy#3 not b/c he was a boy but that was her last ans she would never have a daughter…I told her the reason she was blessed with them was b/c of the need to raise Godly men 😉 I am sooooo going to check out this book!
I must go check out this book! As mom to two rowdies, I’m sure it would be helpful. I find myself fighting their boyish nature at times and have recently started to relax a bit on that. They are who God intended indeed 🙂
I really loved this post and need to check out that book! I often try to get my little guy to ‘settle down’…he’s not being naughty, he’s just being the boy God created him to be 🙂 Thank you for these words today.
Awesome! Sounds like a great read and resource. Kelly always reminds me that we’re raising Hunter to be a man and not a little boy. : )
I wrote on the facebook page as well, but this was so good.
I have 3 under 3….BOYS and they exhaust me…so hard trying to find a balance between letting them be boys and be wild, and not letting them rule the house 🙂
Gonna go see if I can get this book on my Nook! Thank you Rachel!
I have been feeling lately like raising my son is going to be more of a challenge than I thought! You want your children to grow up to become compassionate, understanding contributors to society…knowing right from wrong and standing up for the under dog. But how do you teach them that…my only thought is to lead by example. Thank you for this post. I’ll be looking into that book!
I need to read this! With three little boys (6, 4, and 3) I often feel at a loss raising them to be kind-hearted, honorable, AND strong and valiant.
What an awesome post Rachel! There are 4 very lucky little girls being raised somewhere that will be blessed when they become your sons wives. And, they will thank you for being the Mom that you are to those boys.
I’ve missed dropping by in recent days but between being away and caring for my Dad, time gets away and I don’t have time for browsing like I use to.
Praying for your shoulder surgery and hoping you do beautifully. Hugs to you!
OH that last photo…Samuel…you are the cutest little man!
Whatever the Lord allows to happen in your life, He’ll get you through! Praying!
Psalms 91:9-12 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Prayer Bears
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I am so glad our book was a blessing to you, Rachel!
I’d like to invite you and your readers to join the conversation on Facebook at http://facebook.com/raisingrealmen and to check out our blog and resources at http://raisingrealmen.com. This is a great time to head over there, too, since we just had a huge Facebook Party last night and their are over 40 door prizes on the blog still taking entries! 🙂
I thoroughly enjoyed your review — and especially the great pictures of your little men!
Much love,
Melanie
Thanks, Rachel, for this review. I am really starting to feel I need to read something like this book. I had four girls and then a little boy, who is coming up four and really showing his boyishness. I really want to let him be a boy, despite being in an otherwise all-girl household!