It’s been said it’s “easier to build a boy than to mend a man.”
I agree.
A startling number of boys today are alone, left to figure out for themselves what it means to be a man. They don’t have a father in the home who will engage them.
Oh, dad may be there. But he isn’t present.
There are a lot of great dads out there, but too many men are disengaged. They don’t see manhood as a quality for them to intentionally bestow upon their son. It’s something they think their boys will figure out on their own.
That was my story. I didn’t have a father to teach me how to be a man. I had to figure it out. But that journey wasn’t easy, and it’s why I can say from experience and with conviction that leaving a boy in the hands of “trial-and-error” is not ideal.
I’m not suggesting we could, or should, protect our children from every bump and scrape this world can inflict upon them. I am saying that boys learn to become men in the company of other men as they walk and grow through the challenges of life together.
So how do we build this next generation of boys into true men?
We need to cast a greater vision for all that life can be for our boys and help them walk the path to achieve it.
What’s our aspiration for them? Where do we hope to see our sons, say, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years from now? And just as importantly, how will we intentionally raise them toward greater levels of maturity?
It’s a big job. That’s why we invited Jonathan Catherman to our studios. He’s our guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Training Sons to Be Confident, Capable Men.” He has worked for decades in the field of private and public education and is an expert in youth and leadership training.
Join us for the program on your local radio station. Or tune in anytime onlineor via our free, downloadable mobile phone app.
We’re talking with Jonathan about his book Manual to Manhood: How to Cook the Perfect Steak, Change a Tire, Impress a Girl, and 97 Other Skills You Need to Survive. We’ll discuss how to prepare a young man for adulthood, so they can rise up and meet head-on the opportunities and challenges they’ll face as men.
His book is available in our online bookstore, but if you’ll become a monthly ministry partner, we’ll send you a copy. Visit our website for more information.
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