It’s nice to know that we aren’t alone as we try to survive parenthood. Here are some Top-Rated Books on How to Raise Boys that will help you weather the toughest parenting storms.
Top-Rated Books on How To Raise Boys
Let’s be honest, raising boys is tough work! There are days when I just stare at them and think, “WHY? Why did you just do that?” Days where “The JOYS of Boys” just doesn’t apply. Now don’t get me wrong. I love my boys in a fierce way and can’t imagine life without them but I find myself searching and searching for answers to how I can raise these boys into healthy, happy and highly-functioning adults. Sometimes I wonder if I can do it!
But the great thing about parenting is that we are not alone. Moms and dads have been raising boys since the beginning of time and we’re lucky to know that some of them even wrote down advice for the rest of us to learn from! Fantastic!
I asked my Moms of Boys Community and did some research and found that there are several top-rated books on how to raise boys. Each of these books comes from an author with a different perspective of how to raise boys and I am finding it interesting to read and apply different ideas to my different kids.
Books on How To Raise Boys
What a Difference a Mom Makes: The Indelible Imprint a Mom Leaves on Her Son’s Life
“With vivid, confidence-inspiring scenarios that range from the toddler to late-teen years, Leman shows how moms can use their authority without being authoritarian and how they can be more loving and empathetic without enabling irresponsible behavior.”
Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys
“Something scary is happening to boys today. From kindergarten to college, American boys are, on average, less resilient and less ambitious than they were a mere twenty years ago. Dr. Leonard Sax delves into the scientific literature and draws on more than twenty years of clinical experience to explain why boys and young men are failing in school and disengaged at home. “
Strong Mothers, Strong Sons: Lessons Mothers Need to Raise Extraordinary Men
“Boys today face unique challenges and pressures, and the burden on mothers to guide their boys through them can feel overwhelming. This empowering book offers a road map to help mothers find the strength and confidence to raise extraordinary sons by providing encouragement, education, and practical advice.”
Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys
“In Raising Cain, Dan Kindlon, Ph.D., and Michael Thompson, Ph.D., two of the country’s leading child psychologists, share what they have learned in more than thirty-five years of combined experience working with boys and their families.Kindlon and Thompson make a compelling case that emotional literacy is the most valuable gift we can offer our sons, urging parents to recognize the price boys pay when we hold them to an impossible standard of manhood.”
Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons
“In Boys Should Be Boys, one of our most trusted authorities helps parents restore the delights of boyhood and enable today’s boys to become the mature, confident, and thoughtful men of tomorrow.”
Bringing Up Boys
“With so much confusion about the role of men in our society, it’s no wonder so many parents and teachers are asking questions about how to bring up boys. In the runaway bestseller Bringing Up Boys, Dr. Dobson draws from his experience as a child psychologist and family counselor, as well as extensive research, to offer advice and encouragement based on a firm foundation of biblical principles.”
What a Son Needs from His Mom
“Drawing from her own experiences, as well as those from moms and sons from around the country, Cheri Fuller shares what makes boys and young men tick and how to become a more welcome influence at every stage in their lives.”
Making Men: Five Steps to Growing Up
“Chuck Holton, former Army Ranger, Adventurer and international war correspondent, has three men-in-training of his own. Over a three-year period, Chuck made it his mission to nail down the facets of a fully-engaged, functional man by seeking out timeless wisdom of ancient cultures and the experience of dozens of mature men. The result is a five step curriculum that is already changing the lives of men and women around the world.”
Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys
“Playing off the themes in the Caldecott Medal-winning children’s book Where the Wild Things Are, this informative, practical, and encouraging guide will help parents guide boys down the path to healthy and authentic manhood.”
Do you have favorite books on how to raise boys that I missed? Leave me a comment and let me know!
This post is a part of our series 31 Days of Tips for Raising Boys. Each day throughout the series we are discussing a different topic regarding raising boys. I’d love for you to follow along and share this series with other parents of boys who may need some support or just to hear that they aren’t alone in their journey of raising boys.
Check out the next post in the series: Boys and Bullying: How to Keep Your Child Safe
Find all of our posts in one place on our series home page: 31 Days of Tips for Raising Boys
The Wonder of Boys by Michael Gurian. You would love him. Just found your blog. I’m excited to read more of it.
Thanks so much! I’m always looking for new books to read.
Definitely Raising Boys by Steve Biddulph, such a great read. Thanks for this list I am excited to get my hands on some of these.