A review of Bringing Up Boys by James C. Dobson

Parents have been suffering from confusion about how to bring up boys for decades. Each generation seems to present more threats than the last. In many ways, people's way of life has made masculine character traits difficult to live with. This article looks at the book, Bringing Up Boys by James C. Dobson which has some advice on raising boys.

About the author

Dr. James Dobson is an American psychologist and family counselor who is considered by some people to be an authority on the kinds of problems faced by families. In Bringing Up Boys, he offers encouragement and advice to parents and teachers responsible for the education and development of boys. Dobson feels that raising the next generation of men represents a crisis which will influence the "future of Western civilisation". Bringing Up Boys was published in 2003 by Focus On The Family, an evangelical Christian organisation founded by Dr. Dobson. The issues tackled in the book include: -Are boys fundamentally different from girls? -What role does competition play in a boy's development? -What is a father's unique contribution to parent a son? -What about a mother's role? -How can grandparents contribute to raise a healthy grandson? -What's the best way to educate boys? -What advice is available for single parents of sons? -What causes homosexuality? Can it be prevented? -What should be done to shape the next generation of men?

The Christian viewpoint

James Dobson is a Christian and proudly conservative in his outlook on life. He states his theory that the development of boys depends on the actions of the parents. The bottom line is if you want strong, God-fearing boys, you must exhibit the same qualities yourself. Dobson makes it clear that he does not like the influence on society of feminism and gay culture.
More guidance and supervision for boys
Leaving aside Dr. Dobson's conservative leanings, his views on how modern life is making bringing up boys difficult are hard to argue with. He states clearly that children suffer from lack of attention by parents. He also makes the point that boys need more guidance and supervision than girls to make decisions that will tend to affect them positively later in life. Parental presence Dr. Dobson was born in 1936, and advocates a brand of parenting based on strict discipline, but does not appear to be a great fan of "spare the rod, spoil the child". Rather, his bottom line seems to be that parents should be present at home to assert their authority in a way that influences boys positively.