Training Sons to Be Confident, Capable Men

It’s been said that 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 to intentionally bestow upon their sons. They expect their boys to figure things 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?

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.

He’ll help men cast a vision for all that life can be for their boys and offer advice for helping them walk a path to achieve it:

What’s our aspiration for them?
Where do we hope to see our sons 2 years, 5 years, or 10 years from now?
How will we intentionally raise them toward greater levels of maturity?

Join us on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or take us with you on our free phone app.

I invite you to become a special partner with us through our monthly “Friends of Focus on the Family” program. When you do, I’ll send you a copy of Jonathan Catherman’s book The Manual to Manhood: How to Cook the Perfect Steak, Change a Tire, Impress a Girl & 97 Other Skills You Need to Survive as a way of saying thank you for touching others with the love of Christ. You’ll also receive member-exclusive benefits. To make your pledge, or for more information, visit our website.