if you have boys please read this book

The book I'm reading right now is Boys Should Be Boys- 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons and I l LOVE it- it is definitely a MUST read for all parents of boys. The author(a pediatrician) has all the same ideals and values for raising sons that John and I do and this book is so helpful- well written and I wish I had read it years ago. She has great insight into the life and mind of boys and does not care about popular culture- she is only concerned about raising healthy, good boys- gentlemen. These types of boys seem to disappearing in the world and I personally feel like we all just keep making excuses for their behavior. I know there are good boys out there(and we are trying our hardest to raise two of them) but it really feels like they are few and far between. I blame parents(obviously) and today's culture. John and I are adamant about not giving a damn about what every other kid has or is doing- we want to do what we know is best for our kids and we want them to become a GOOD person. We want to maintain a strong, close relationship with them. This books reaffirms all of that and helps us to keep believing that all of that is possible despite all the crap our kids are surrounded by today.

Here are some excerpts that I love so far:

Boys need strong relationships with their parents. Period. Every boy, without exception, wants a better relationship with his mother and his father because his physical and emotional survival depends on you.

Boys spend far too little time with parents and they suffer because of it. And we all know it.

In our earnestness to make up for lost time, to help our boys, we give them all the wrong things. But our boys don't need things, they need us, even just being around us, watching how we handle life, how we talk, listen, help others, and make our decisions. Every son is his father's apprentice, studying not his dad's profession but his way of living, thinking, and behaving.

Ask any parent of an eight- or eighteen- year-old son what he hopes for his son's future, and chances are excellent that he will respond by saying that he simply wants his son to be happy. The question is, however, is happiness enough? Is aspiring to raise a son to be happy more important than raising a boy to be good?

In an effort to help our boys be happy, we provide for them. We give them toys, clothes, money, and entertainment. We inadvertently teach them that it is better to receive than to give. And gadget-producing corporations have our number; they play on our guilt, fears, and our pocketbooks.... Maybe this Wii game, that soccer jersey, or that skateboard will bring him happiness, at least temporarily.

I'm excited to keep reading and learning...