What A Son Needs From His Mom

What A Son Needs From His Mom - Parenting Like Hannah
What A Son Needs From His Mom by Cheri Fuller

Growing up, I had a younger brother and lots of guy neighbors and friends. I wasn’t exactly a tomboy, but I could kick a football barefooted and knew enough about sports to impress my buddies. I was very comfortable hanging out with guys and imagined if I ever had a son, raising him would be somewhat intuitive.

Having a daughter has kept me immersed in the world of tea parties, dress buying and girl things for the last sixteen years. I have hesitated to comment much on raising boys in case things have changed since my childhood. Until recently, my search for solid books on raising boys has not been very successful.

Cheri Fuller’s book What a Son Needs From His Mom, was exactly what I had been seeking. Her practical, yet godly counsel is solid basic parenting advice. Yet, she adds those special touches boys need to become the men God wanted them to be. One of my favorite tips was that if you want your son to talk, do something active with him like take a walk or throw a ball. All of these years surrounded by men and I had somehow missed that valuable bit of information.

This book is quite possibly one of the most thorough parenting books I have seen in some time. Written from a Christian perspective, Fuller covers topics from confidence and communication to school and character. One of my favorite chapters was written to encourage mothers to overcome their natural fears for the safety of their child and give their sons the room to explore and conquer (within some limits of course).

Fuller covers more than a dozen topics in great depth without turning it into a textbook lecture. She includes lots of real world examples and practical tips. The book even addresses some of the common mistakes mothers make when raising sons without the reader feeling scolded.

Any mother would find this book helpful, even if you are raising daughters. If you have sons (and especially if you grew up without brothers or in a heavily female world), this book will give you the tools and confidence necessary to raise your son to become a godly man.

Our daughter is in her junior year of high school, so I especially appreciated the last two chapters of the book. Although directed to mothers of sons, the advice on launching your child into adulthood and developing a productive, godly life as the mother of adults was wonderful. Both chapters included lots of practical advice, helpful to mothers of young sons, but essential to moms with children in their late teens and twenties.

Normally when I review a book, I have some concern about something in the book. The only thing even slightly negative I could say, is that if you want tons of scriptures, this book may be a little light for you. She clearly takes a Christian perspective though, and does recommend prayer and scripture reading. I think the way she presents the material makes it a great bridge book to give non-Christian friends and relatives. Fuller does an excellent job of presenting Christian principles, encouraging prayer and Bible reading, all without sounding “preachy”.

If you have a son, get this book. Frankly, if you have daughters, you would still gain a lot from a reading of it. Not just for the solid basic parenting advice, but because of the insight it may give you into your husband’s world. Once you read it, let me know what you thought in a comment below.

I was given a free copy of this book by Bethany House for my honest review. I truly loved this book and it will remain on my parenting bookshelf to consult and share with others.

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Thereasa Winnett

Thereasa Winnett is the founder of Teach One Reach One and blogger at Parenting Like Hannah. She holds a BA in education from the College of William and Mary. She has served in all areas of ministry to children and teens for more than thirty years and regularly leads workshops for ministries and churches. She has conducted numerous workshops, including sessions at Points of Light’s National Conference on Volunteering and Service, the National Urban Ministry Conference, Pepperdine Bible Lectures, and Lipscomb’s Summer Celebration. Thereasa lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband Greg, where she enjoys reading, knitting, traveling and cooking.

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