"What Your Son Isn't Telling You" by Michael Ross and Susie Shellenberger

From the back of the book:


Your son struggles with the constant pressure to prove himself - in the the classroom, on the playing field, and especially among his friends. And while he may put up a tough exterior, deep inside he hungers for family support and connection. You long to be there for him, but chances are he's put up a formidable wall of silence, leaving you wondering how to break through.


In What Your Son Isn't Telling You, teen experts Michael Ross and Susie Shellenberger offer a rare glimpse into the secret lives of teen boys - behind-the-scenes footage you might miss in the day-to-day life of your son - accompanied by practical advice on how to provide the support and connection you son desperately needs.


My Opinion:


I'm usually not one to enjoy reading parenting books because I prefer to let God guide me and use His Holy Word to tell me how to parent but this was different. I have one son, and even when I was pregnant I had no idea what to do with a boy - I had to girls before him and they were easy. Needless to say having a boy has been completely different than my two girls - I love him but it's whole new territory when it comes to raising a boy. My son is going to be 4 soon and so I have a couple years before we hit the times the authors talk about in this book but it was good to see some things I need to be on the lookout for - some things were uncomfortable to read about such as thinking about my son thinking about s**. The authors are honest though however I do disagree that every boy has to and must think about the above act - as Christian parents we should teach our boys to avert their gaze when an inappropriately dressed girl or woman comes near them, not only for their own protection but for the girls modesty even if she doesn't act like she has any.


I did enjoy this book, even though I said like above some things were uncomfortable they did need to be said. However, I think for the most part this book is geared toward boys who are in the public and private school sectors and must deal with this from the point of view that their peers do not have the same teachings at home. I'm not saying boys who are home schooled are perfect, they have their own set of temptations, but it seems as if most of the boys who wrote to the authors about issues like homosexuality, dating, fighting/bullying, etc are mostly those things that boys are exposed to who are not home schooled. Like I said though I still have a few years before knowing this first hand - I'm going on my observation of my brothers and friends who have older boys.


Overall, this book did touch on ideas that are pertinent for today's boys in the society they are growing up in - even innocently surfing the net can be a minefield of scantily clad women who can fill our son's mind with sinful thoughts. This book would be a great resource in getting help for issues, however I must say the Bible is still what you need to turn to as a Christian parent, but this book is filled with Scripture and as such can be used as a reliable source book for information that isn't readily available elsewhere.


** I was provided a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers. For full disclosure policy see tab above.