boys

My Son Cries All the Time!
Q. My son cries all the time! What do I do? My husband says it has to stop, but my son has such a tender heart.  Raising passionate kids can be really challenging. We've had a few kids with BIG emotions - when they were happy, they were on top of the world, when they…
Ten Danger Signs Your Son is Watching Porn
We get messages all the time from parents who've found out their son is watching porn. In every one, the parents express shock. They had no idea, no clue that this was going on in their house, so they just aren't prepared to deal with it. When we talk to them, though, the signs have…
Q & A: Dealing With An Angry Son
A reader asks what to do with a violently angry 11-year-old son who is fighting and hurting his siblings.  The father writes, I'm dying here. My boy continues to be violent to his siblings...one in particular...and tells us he wants out of the family. I feel like a prisoner in my own family, needing to…
When Do You Step In When Boys Are Wrestling?
A reader asks, "When do you step in when boys are wrestling? My 10 & 8 year old boys are constantly in some form of a challenge on the trampoline, in the yard, on the lake, in the house, etc." The way boys are always wrestling can be pretty frustrating, especially for moms. It's hard…
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review and Discussion Guide
Let me be upfront. I love Star Wars. The original Star Wars was released when I was a young teen and I think I saw it 5 or 6 times the first month. It was a grand story of nobility and sacrifice, knights and princesses, tyranny and resistance, epic battles and spaceships. Spaceships! It was…
Awkward! How (and Why) to Have a Conversation About Sexting with Your Kids
It came up on Facebook again today. What do you do when you find your child has been sexting? It's nauseating to even think about it, isn't it? Awhile back, I was shocked when one of my friends told me she'd found a series of explicit texts on her son's phone, but now we're hearing…
How do I talk to my children about these things?
Here's what I struggle with: How do I prepare my young boys in case they are exposed to porn without destroying their innocence?  It is a struggle at young ages, but it’s so important. A mom recently told us she discovered her 8 or 9 year old was getting up in the middle of the…
A Thirst for Adventure
Boys have a love for adventure. The trick is to teach them to take reasonable risks. We want them to be bold and adventurous - without breaking both legs jumping off the roof! There's a whole chapter about that in Raising Real Men.
Spring Fever
A mom approached us at a conference, "I just can't get my son to concentrate!" she said. We asked her to explain. "Well, he does pretty well until about half-way through the morning, then he just loses focus! I tell him, 'Look, we only have three more subjects! Buckle down and concentrate and we'll be…
Four Famous Failures (That Should Change the Way We Parent)
Q. A mom came up to us at a conference where we'd been speaking about entrepreneurship, "My teenage son is constantly coming up with business ideas, but I'm afraid to let him try. What if he fails?" We are not doing our boys a service to protect them from ever failing. When we do that,…