Raising Godly Boys Minute

As Easter approaches, what comes to mind? For many kids, Easter involves egg hunts, bunny-shaped chocolate, and goodie-filled baskets. But the real meaning of Easter is so much more than this. As a parent, don’t allow the commercialization of Easter to distract you from the true meaning of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. Teach your son that the Easter story is more than a story. It’s the real-life ac...

Ever thought about having your son help you decorate your home for Easter? We all decorate for Christmas. But as Christians, shouldn’t we show our boy that there’s just as much– if not more– to celebrate at Easter? Spend some time this year putting up some decorations representing Christs’ sacrifice. These don’t have to be fancy or expensive– display a cross, and frame a verse like Matthew 28:6- “...

Resurrection Sunday is almost here! This day celebrates the fact that Jesus is not dead, but is alive. This is what separates us from all other religions. Since Jesus has been resurrected, He offers a resurrected life to us. Romans 6:4 says, We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk...

A surefire way to pique your son’s interest? A snack!  Here’s a snack mix recipe to help you discuss the true meaning of Easter. Gather up the following: Pretzel sticks, to symbolize the cross; craisins, to represent Jesus’ blood; round crackers, for the stone that was rolled away; a marshmallow, since our sins are forgiven; Goldfish crackers, since Jesus said we should be fishers of men; and choc...

Does your son have a “lighthouse” person in his life? It’s interesting– even though more sophisticated navigation technology exists, many ship captains still prefer the simplicity of an old-fashioned lighthouse. In the same way, your son needs a lighthouse person in his life– someone he can look to as he navigates the difficult waters of boyhood. This person doesn’t need to be perfect. They don’t...

Do you know what it means to do an“alley-oop” or an “ollie”? While someone could try to explain those basic skateboarding tricks using words, it’s pretty hard to understand until you see someone jump on a skateboard and demonstrate. This same principle applies when it comes to parenting our son. Sure, we can try to lecture him on the importance of a relationship with Jesus.  But we must allow Jesu...

Tammy’s seven-year-old son was angry. His sister had broken his model airplane. Tammy quickly put her arm around her son and began to talk to him. “I know you’re feeling hurt and frustrated,” she said. “Let’s go outside for a minute and jump on the trampoline, and then we’ll talk about it.” Anger can be a difficult emotion to manage, especially for boys. As parents, it’s crucial that we teach our...

When your son lacks motivation, show him the relevance. Boys are biologically wired to be task-oriented and one-track minded. They also have trouble engaging when there is nothing at stake or they don’t see the value. That’s why some vocations tend to favor one gender over another. Any time your son seems to lack motivation– whether that’s for cleaning his room, being nice to his sister, or paying...

All it took was one simple check-in. A teacher noticed an interesting trend in her classroom. While the girls in the class almost always turned in their weekly assignments on time, most of the boys would forget or turn things in late. This teacher decided to try an experiment. Without drawing attention, she started quietly checking in with each boy in her class throughout the week to see how his a...

Are you Listening? We need to listen to our children. One old-school method of dealing with children was “The children should be seen and not heard.” Connecting with our child’s heart, especially our sons, is critical to having a loving relationship with them, and connection begins with listening and understanding. We must value who they are and who God has made them to be. As we start to listen m...

Boys need to succeed in order to succeed. Yes, you heard that right. This is why boys and young men can sometimes get stuck in cycles of failure when it comes to their schoolwork or relationships. Here’s an example. If your son is struggling in school, don’t try to improve his grades in every subject overnight. First, identify the subject he is most interested in or good at– whether that’s gym or...

When you were a kid, did you ever play with transformers? Boys love the way those cars and trucks transform into really cool robots. Plus, the storyline of Autobots battling it out against the evil Decepticons is exciting. You probably don’t play with transformers anymore, but in some ways, you’re still like a transformer. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by...

Do you use your phone to send text messages? According to statistics, around 80% of Americans do. Those text messages are often sent to family, friends, and co-workers. And now, more than ever, millions of children also carry a smart phone. If you’ve decided to provide your son a phone, make sure he uses it responsibly. But in addition to that, use text messaging as a way to connect with him. If y...

Ask your son what his perfect afternoon would entail. He will most likely give a very simple answer– such as hours spent playing video games, or fishing. Why? Everyone’s brain has something called a corpus collosum [kul-oh’-some] that connects the left and right hemispheres. In males, the corpus collosum is much smaller than those in females. This is why girls tend to enjoy multitasking, and boys...

On this St. Patrick’s Day, there’s a lesson your son can learn from the holiday’s namesake. While the story of St. Patrick is pretty disputed among historians, many believe he was taken prisoner at age 16 and forced to work as a shepherd for years. During those years, he leaned into his Christianity, and became very close with God. It’s also believed that he started thinking about being a missiona...

You’re a parent inside the walls of your home. But what about outside those walls? Of course, your primary obligation is to parent your own son. But, for better or worse, your son’s friends and peers can have a greater impact on him than you do. So how can you positively influence the whole group? It’s as simple as being involved in your community. Volunteer at church to teach Sunday School. Coach...

Did you know that Michael Jordan, considered by many to be the greatest basketball player ever, missed 12,345 field goals in his Hall of Fame career? He said, “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Wayne Gretzky, the NHL’s all-time leading scorer, put it this way: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” In today’s culture, risk and competition...

Colton, a toddler, was riding his toy car when he ran into a stick. His mom watched from behind as Colton got more and more frustrated, but he was stuck. “Hm,” his mom said,“Is there anything you can do to move the stick?” Colton thought for a minute, then climbed off his car. He beamed with pride when he moved the stick and sailed past it. When our sons face obstacles in life, it’s tempting to sw...

Are men inherently bad? Of course not. Genesis 1:27 tells us that God created both male and female in His own image. But there’s a troubling narrative in our society right now that masculinity is toxic. So how can we as Christians fight this damaging idea? First, we can affirm, not punish, the natural masculine traits that appear in our sons– such as being high energy and risk seeking. Second, we...

Here’s a controversial yet obvious truth– men and women are different! A quick look at brain science supports this fact. The connections between neurons in the male brain are more condensed than in a female brain. That’s why men tend to focus on the bigger picture while women focus on details. Men use more grey brain matter, which makes them task oriented, while women use more white matter, which...

When your son is upset, “How are you feeling?” might not be the right question. Boys are simply not wired to connect words with feelings. While the female brain has verbal centers in both the left and right hemispheres– allowing girls to use words to process feelings— males only have verbal centers on the left side of their brain. This is why boys tend to not “talk it out” when they are upset, but...

Ever wake to the sound of a chainsaw ripping through wood? It’s a powerful tool. But it can be dangerous. Like a chainsaw, the internet is a powerful tool, but it’s also dangerous if not used properly. There’s a wealth of information available to us on the web. However, surfing the internet can become an addictive tidal wave. Do you start and end your day online? Are you constantly checking your e...

The trials of life are like trails. They will either lead you closer to God or further away from him. You can’t choose if you’ll go through a trial, but you can choose how you will react to one. Being a Christian doesn’t make you immune to trials, but you can take comfort during a trial knowing that you are never alone. Repeatedly in his word God tells us that he will never leave us or forsake us....

Did you know that a person can survive for about three days without water? Health experts commonly recommend drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. While water is essential for life, Jesus speaks of a different kind of “living water” in John 4. While talking with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, he says, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water...

A deck of cards could teach your son an important lesson. Remember the card games you played growing up? Go fish, hearts, nerts, or spades? Search the internet if you need a refresher on the rules, make your son’s favorite snack, and find some decks of cards. It’s time for a family game night. As you play with your son, you will teach him several important lessons. He will learn to listen and foll...