Raising Godly Boys Minute

When Benjamin Franklin’s name is mentioned, kids think of the Guy who placed a metal key on a kite string. But adults recognize Benjamin Franklin as one of America’s most important Founding Fathers. In addition to helping to write the Declaration of Independence, he also had great advice about the learning process. He said, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” K...

When you’re expecting a baby, you’re filled with dreams of how extraordinary your child will eventually become. But if your son has special needs or experiences developmental delays, you dream about him functioning in an ordinary way. The expectations we have for our children don’t always turn out the way we wish. During these times, it’s easy to become angry, frustrated, and bitter. When these em...

Do you know the four magic words to motivate your son? These four words are powerful. These words might help your boy pay attention at school or cause him to clean his room. Are you ready for the four words? They are: “Here’s what’s at stake.” You see, boys are motivated by challenges. And when they don’t know what’s at stake, it’s hard for them to stay focused. Here’s an example. Maybe your son l...

“What were you thinking?” Most parents ask their son this question at least once.  Preteens and teens often make decisions without considering consequences. There’s a valid reason for this. Teen brains are still developing. The portion of their brain responsible for planning ahead and understanding the if-then effects, the prefrontal cortex, isn’t fully mature until the mid-20's. Until then,...

Do you ever use things around you to teach truth? Jesus did it all the time. A caterpillar, wrapping itself in a cocoon and emerging as a beautiful butterfly, is a good example of this teaching process. The caterpillar enters its “tomb,” dies to its former life of destroying plants, and changes into something wondrous and beneficial to those around it. We call it “metamorphosis.” The Apostle Paul...

How can you get your son to unplug from his electronics and go outside?  You know his bones and muscles are atrophying with no activity, but how can you help him become the young man he has the potential to be? Dane enrolled his son in Trail Life.  On his first hike, he thought he might have made a mistake, for it was a long, exhausting trek up the side of a mountain.  But when the other boys brok...

Does your son know what it means to respect women? He certainly isn’t going to learn this by watching society. Best-selling author and father Dave Willis says parents must be intentional about teaching their sons to view the opposite sex in a healthy way. First, Willis says to have clear conversations. Discuss what behavior is and isn’t OK. Point out that, while Jesus was on earth, he treated wome...

Life is hard.  Is your son ready? Does he have the tools to come face-to-face with the things you went through– and overcome? When the disciple Peter stepped out of the boat to follow Jesus, it was a great act of intense faith.  But the roar of wind and waves around him took his focus from Christ, and he began to sink. Teach your son to focus intently on the face of Christ, and seek him with his w...

“Boys, time to take three laps around the house.” My homeschool friend recognizes the need for her sons to get up and move several times a day. So, once an hour the kids go outside and run around for ten minutes. Boys learn best when their entire body is involved in the process. That’s why they’re naturally restless and rambunctious. Their instinct is to keep moving. When their body is in motion,...

Does your son play video games? A grandfather asked his grandson, “Why do you like playing Fortnite so much?” His grandson’s reply was telling: “Because I’m good at it.” Why do we have such an inner drive? To be good? To win? Sometimes at the expense of others? The answer lies in The Fall. Mankind was created, and God said it was “very good.”* Everything Adam and Eve needed was woven into them to...

Is your son growing closer to God, or further away? It seems that everything in our modern culture is trying to drive a wedge between our sons and their faith in God.  Many times, this worldly influence comes from their friends. Abraham Kuyper, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, once said, “He is your friend who pushes you nearer to God.” Surround your sons with godly men to mentor him and...

Walk into any coffee shop, and the chances are high that you’ll see two women talking. Sitting across from each other, the women will look each other in the eye and discuss deep and personal issues. You probably won’t see two men sitting and conversing in the same way. Why? Well, as Dr. Emerson Eggerichs points out, it’s a matter of gender differences. Women prefer face to face communication, whil...

When is your son strong enough?  How do you know he’s ready? Tyler was the smallest, youngest member of the troop, and afraid of heights, so when it came time to go down the rappelling tower, the leaders were not surprised when Tyler got into the harness and timidly inched down the side of the tower.  What blew their minds was that he went back over and over again, until he was kicking out off the...

I have a tough time visualizing Jesus, mocking an opponent, calling them “losers.” It’s called “trash talk,” or having “swag.” And it can get ugly. Sportsmanship, like so many cultural norms these days, is becoming a thing of the past. When a player does something memorable, like crouching down and consoling a member of the losing side after the game is over, we marvel at their example. That’s the...

Are there days you want to resign as a parent? You wish you could throw in the towel and call it quits? Most parents have fleeting thoughts of giving up. During these problematic moments, remember God’s encouragement in James. The one who perseveres under trial is blessed and will receive the crown of life.   Raising boys is a long endeavor. A marathon, not a race. And it sometimes requires thick...

How do your son’s friends influence him?  Do they make him better?  Do they encourage him to be his best and have a good attitude? The twins were away from video games and TV.  Cold and wet from the rainy canoe camping trip, all they wanted when they put in to camp was to go home.  Bad became worse when they discovered their patrol’s food and all the extra water got left behind. But the other boys...

Luke, a senior in high school, took a breath. He was about to rappel down a steep cliff. He knew that, at the bottom of the cliff,  an experienced rock climber was holding the safety rope. But it still took all the courage Luke had to begin to rappel. A few weeks later, Luke took a deep breath yet again. But this time he wasn’t rappelling. He was about to graduate high school. Just as had known th...

Why are boys protectors? At four years old, Thomas saw a red wasp fly into the room and land next to his baby sister, buzzing threateningly.  Scared for his sister, he stepped in front of her, stomping on the wasp with his bare foot, and the stinger went deep into his soft skin. His mother rushed from the kitchen and scooped up the brave little boy who saved his sister by taking the pain himself....

Wet towels on the bathroom floor. Dirty clothes strewn about the bedroom with Legos embedded within, acting as a plastic minefield. And dirt. Dirt everywhere.  If you have boys, then this little visual has you nodding in agreement. Personal hygiene for the average pre-teen boy or early teenager just doesn’t compute. Not until there is a girl involved. Then, we see the transformation unfold before...

Is your son ready? John David was giving the boys a last-minute pack check before heading out on a week-long hike and campout of over eighty miles, when he noticed they only had one water bottle apiece.  The trails were long and dusty, and many times there would be no streams or rivers along the way, and they could only find water to filter at the end of the day.  He quickly got them more water bo...

Here’s an idea for studying the Bible with your teenage son. First, find a simple Bible reading plan online. Each day, you and your son read the passage together or own your own. Then, after reading the passage, go through the H.E.A.R. acronym.  This was created by Pastor Robbie Gallaty. H stands for– Highlight a verse that stands out E— Explain what this verse means A— Apply this to your  life An...

William Wallace, who fought for Scottish independence, recalls this quote his uncle used to tell him: “I tell you a truth: Liberty is the best of things, my son; never live under any slavish bond.” Teach your son to walk in freedom.  Many things in this life will seek to enslave him: twisted immorality, the pursuit of selfish ends and amassing wealth, or a life of ease and pleasure.  But it is for...

Integrity. We sometimes call it, “Honor,” or “Our Word.” If we say, “You have my word,” we wish for that person to believe us and trust us. Not just now, but in the future as well. Yet, Integrity is a difficult thing for young men to build in today’s society. They are surrounded by peers, cultural icons, and even relatives who lie to “save their backsides.” The Bible says, “Better is a poor man wh...

John Eldredge writes,  “Men want a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. That is what is written in their hearts. That is what little boys play at. That is what men's movies are about. You just see it. It is undeniable.” In today’s world, those desires can become distorted, twisted, or boys can be shamed out of righteous desires to pursue the lies society paints with...

Do you know how microwave popcorn works? Each kernel has a tiny drop of water inside. When that drop of water is heated up, the kernel explodes into popcorn! Here’s what I want to hone in on– even though they are placed in the same bag and heated in the same microwave— each kernel will turn into popcorn at different times. In the same way, your son will develop at his own rate. It’s very normal fo...