Raising Godly Boys Minute

If you’ve ever taken your son to an archery range, you know that hitting the bullseye is harder than it looks. After you knock the arrow, you draw the bowstring back—then take careful aim. Your goal is to successfully hit the target. The same is true in parenting your son. Zig Ziglar, an author and motivational speaker, understood this principle well. He said, “You hit what you aim at, and if you...

What does a cactus have to do with your son? The saguaro cactus is an amazing desert plant. It stretches high into the air like a telephone pole, reaching heights of 40 feet or more. But did you know that this colossal cactus grows slowly? It isn’t unusual for it to be 2-inches tall on its 10th birthday. Soon after, the saguaro begins growing faster and keeps up this steady growth until eventually...

How do YOU feel about … puzzles? When putting together a 500-piece puzzle, you don’t normally complete it all at one time. You work on it a few minutes here and a few minutes there. But gradually, the pieces start coming together until—at long last—you see the entire puzzle in all its glory. Too often, we expect our children to mature faster than what is realistic. We wish to see the entire pictur...

How’s your balance? and I'm not talking about your checkbook! In June of 2012, Nik Wallenda walked from the United States’ side of Niagara Falls to the Canadian side. Sounds easy, until you realize that he walked high above the raging waterfalls on a 2-inch tightrope. Even though Wallenda held a 40-foot balancing pole in his hands, gusts of wind and swirling spray made the long crossing menta...

What do Grammy-award winning artist Jay-Z, former President George Washington, and Olympic medalist Michael Phelps all have in common? All three men were raised by single parents.  Today, about forty percent of boys are also raised solely by their mother– an epidemic that continues to grow. If you’re one of those hero single parents, do not lose heart. God sees you and knows the challenges you fac...

A battle rages—and boys are on the front lines. They are daily bombarded by anti-Christian philosophies: Relativism—disrupts truth and biblical morality, Humanism—teaches that a person must depend on himself, not God, if this is true, then why do we even need God? And evolution—teaches that we evolved by mere chance, the very existence of a loving Creator is ridiculed. Don’t let these worldly phil...

A reporter asked Thomas Edison, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.” One of the greatest inventions of the 19th century was the lightbulb. But creating the lightbulb required lots of trial and error. Failure is a part of life. In fact, it’s normal and natural. And even though no one likes to fail, it t...

Have you ever walked across a rickety bridge and wondered if it could manage the weight? If you are carrying something heavy that fear can be very real. Carrying truth can be like that. Especially when you are carrying truth to a boy. Make sure the bridge -- your connection to that boy -- is strong enough to carry the weight of that truth. The reality with boys, particularly teens, is that simply...

Everyone loves a good comeback story, so here’s one for you– paper maps are making a resurgence! With digital maps built into many of our cars, you would think paper map sales would continue to fall. But people are realizing that print maps are more helpful than GPS when you’re trying to learn the best way to navigate a new area. This concept reminds me of why young men today so desperately need m...

It was a summer day, and three dads were trying to come up with a way to keep their children occupied. They rummaged through their garages and found wiffle balls and wooden paddles. After taking their kids to a neighbor’s badminton court, the dads lowered the net, and let the children whack the wiffle balls. Those three bored fathers had no idea that they had just developed a game that would later...

Ahhh … vacation! Do you remember the last time you went on vacation? Before leaving, you probably spent time thinking about what clothes and other items you’d need at your destination. Then you probably gathered all those things together and packed them into a suitcase. On this journey called parenthood, it’s even more important to bring everything necessary. Begin by packing love. Next, fold in j...

Fore! If you’ve ever played golf, you’re probably familiar with the term “mulligan.” That’s a fancy word that simply means “do-over.” If you’re on the tee and you slice the ball off into the trees, you might shout, “Mulligan!” You’re basically saying that you want a second try. Wouldn’t it be great if you could get a parenting “mulligan” every once in a while? Maybe you chose your favorite TV show...

Parents, have you been there? Your son has tears in his eyes as he shows you that he got another “D” on his math test. You start explaining why perseverance is important, but his eyes glaze over. You decide to try a different approach. “Son, did I ever tell you about the two classes I failed in middle school?” Your boy raises his eyebrows. You’ve piqued his interest. It’s easy for us as parents to...

Your son is enjoying a day kayaking down a river. Suddenly, he hears rushing water, and sees rapids up ahead. His heart beats fast, and he begins to paddle forward, right into the waves. In life, watching your son head straight into challenging territory can be a frightening and stressful experience. But there’s a reason God wired boys to crave adventure, excitement, and risk. Child development sp...

Ever heard the phrase “match the hatch”? It reminds fishermen that the best way to catch fish is to figure out what the fish are eating. But did you know this concept could help you get your teenage son involved in church, too? Pay close attention to what activities your boy is drawn toward the most. Does he love music and playing an instrument? Encourage him to get involved in the church praise t...

Here’s something you’ll rarely hear shouted during a major league baseball game: “Great call, ump!” Even the best, most experienced umpire will face constant criticism, taunting, and ridicule for every decision. Spectators only talk them if they are angry about a call that was made. Consider this. Does your son feel like an umpire in his everyday life– constantly surrounded by criticism? At school...

The baseball hall of fame is full of failures. Consider Joe DiMaggio, one of the all-time top hitters. His batting average was .325. But even that great statistic means that Joe failed to hit the ball almost 70% of the time. Unfortunately, in our society, boys do not receive the same margin for error. Young men naturally develop slower than their female peers, in both academics and emotional intel...

The player stands at the free-throw line, preparing for a critical shot. He takes a few seconds to adjust his arms and his feet. He knows that the only way he can make this shot is if his whole body is in perfect alignment. For your son, life is the same way. The only way he can succeed is if his beliefs about himself are aligned with the ultimate truth of God’s word. This can be tough, in a socie...

Your son proudly shows you a new scrape on his knee, reporting that he had a bike wreck while riding down a hill. You grab a bandaid and shake your head. It’s your son’s fifth injury of the week! How can you keep him safe when he seems to crave and seek out risk? First, encourage him to focus on one or two skills, like skateboarding or snow skiing. Secondly, enroll him in classes so that he learns...

Getting your young son to sit still for a church service, car ride, or class in school can be a challenge. But one school in Texas doesn’t have this problem. Why? Well, they’ve tripled recess time. During the school day, the kindergartners and first graders at this school get four, 15 minute recess breaks outside each day. The  teachers say the kids are more attentive than ever, and many have even...

There’s something you can do as a family that can increase your son’s attention span, improve his vocabulary, foster deep conversation, and even boost your happiness as a parent. Sound good? Here’s the catch– your son may roll his eyes at first. I’m talking about reading out loud as a family. Your son may think he’s too old for it now, but researchers have found that the benefits continue even as...

“Your son is delayed.” Those words can fill you worry and even some fear as a parent. But did you know that your son may be perfectly normal, and the system may be incorrect? Researchers have found that boys’ brains develop more slowly than their female peers’ brains. The public school system doesn’t often take this into account, and a student’s success is measured by standardized tests. This is a...

Breakfast. School. Homework. Dinner. Does your son seem bored or disengaged in his day to day life? Here’s a simple way to add adventure, spontaneity, and excitement to his life: Get him outside! Nature can actually change your son’s brain for the better. Studies have found that when someone regularly spends time outside, essential regions of the brain, like the hippocampus, grow and retain more g...

His superman cape flies out behind him majestically, and he lifts his arms. “One, two, three!” Your five year old jumps off the swing set. A short time later, as you drive him to the emergency room with a broken arm, you wonder, “Why in the world did he do that?” As parents, we remind our kids to be careful, but the truth is that boys don’t just want risk… they need it. Risky play helps your son l...

“Take out the trash. This is the fourth time I’ve told you,” you tell your son. Your son says “What? I didn’t hear you.” Here’s a fact that may not surprise you:  boys are biologically wired to be bad listeners. Studies have found that, when a boy and girl hear the same sound, the boy will hear it 10 times quieter than the girl will.  This is especially true if it’s a high frequency sound, like a...