Raising Godly Boys Minute

“What were you thinking?” Most parents ask their son this question at least once. 

Preteens and teens often make decisions without considering consequences. There’s a valid reason for this. Teen brains are still developing. The portion of their brain responsible for planning ahead and understanding the if-then effects, the prefrontal cortex, isn’t fully mature until the mid-20's. Until then, they need us to steer them toward healthy choices.

Their brains develop properly as they exercise positive decision-making skills. That means taking some risks, like learning tricks on a skateboard, and reaping the rewards while resisting unhealthy temptations, like staying up late or spending too much time staring at screens. 

So, don’t be too hard on your son when his decisions appear impulsive;  applaud him when he makes healthy choices.

For more encouragement and parenting advice, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Do you ever use things around you to teach truth? Jesus did it all the time.

A caterpillar, wrapping itself in a cocoon and emerging as a beautiful butterfly, is a good example of this teaching process. The caterpillar enters its “tomb,” dies to its former life of destroying plants, and changes into something wondrous and beneficial to those around it. We call it “metamorphosis.”

The Apostle Paul used this word Romans 12:2 when he said we were to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind…” By doing so, Paul says, a person dies to a former life, and becomes something heavenly.

As we celebrate Easter Sunday, the truth of the caterpillar is something little minds and hearts can comprehend. That’s why Jesus taught this way. He used simple illustrations, but oh, how profound is the truth.

For more encouragement and parenting advice, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

How can you get your son to unplug from his electronics and go outside?  You know his bones and muscles are atrophying with no activity, but how can you help him become the young man he has the potential to be?

Dane enrolled his son in Trail Life.  On his first hike, he thought he might have made a mistake, for it was a long, exhausting trek up the side of a mountain.  But when the other boys broke out frisbees and his son was sprinting across the meadow playing a game of ‘Ultimate’ even after a long hike, he knew he made the right decision.

Challenge your son.  Give him an adventure.  Only God knows what he can become.

For more information about raising your son into a godly man, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Does your son know what it means to respect women?

He certainly isn’t going to learn this by watching society. Best-selling author and father Dave Willis says parents must be intentional about teaching their sons to view the opposite sex in a healthy way.

First, Willis says to have clear conversations. Discuss what behavior is and isn’t OK. Point out that, while Jesus was on earth, he treated women with utmost kindness and honor. Secondly, model respect.  If you’re a single mom, seek out a male mentor for your son who you know treats women kindly.

And finally, encourage expressions of healthy masculinity. Help your son find a community of positive peers and male mentors. This could be a youth group, an after-school program, or an outdoor adventure program like Trail Life USA.

To learn about raising boys to be godly men, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Life is hard.  Is your son ready?
Does he have the tools to come face-to-face with the things you went through– and overcome?

When the disciple Peter stepped out of the boat to follow Jesus, it was a great act of intense faith.  But the roar of wind and waves around him took his focus from Christ, and he began to sink.

Teach your son to focus intently on the face of Christ, and seek him with his whole heart. Live out for him the word of God as his map and compass through this life.  Give him godly mentors to show him the way, and godly young men to help sharpen his faith to face the tests of life– and overcome.

For more information about raising your son into a godly man, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.