Bringing up Boys

Sensible Advice and Encouragement for Parents who are raising Boys

Published by Tyndale House Publishing

By Dr James Dobson

Course Resources / Make-Up

Set of 4 DVD’s – these contain the 12 sessions covered in the course.

Bringing up Boys Parent Workbook – designed for parents who are watching the video by themselves (not in a group setting). It is a workbook for use during each session, it has questions to answer, scriptures to study, exercises to try to apply the information learnt in the session, places to take notes during the video and practical, creative ideas to try.

Bringing up Boys Participant’s Guide – A workbook for parents who are watching the videos in a group setting. It has the same material as the Parent Workbook.

Bringing up Boys Leaders’ Guide - Everything you need to know to facilitate a course is in this guide. The guide covers the purpose, scriptures used, preparation involved and a summary of the principles involved for each session. The guide then covers the 4 steps involved in the session – Welcome and questions, watching the video, wrestling with the principles and wrapping up the session.

Staffing the Course

The Course is informal and can be run by one person.

Course Participants

The course is for anyone interested in the dynamics of raising boys. The introduction to the workbook says  “Whether or not you’re currently raising boys, whether you’re  single or married, this series will help you gain plenty of insight into those beguiling, exasperating, priceless creatures made of ‘snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails’. Enjoy the video-and the boys in your life!”

Aims of the Course

• To gain practical understanding about boys
• To correct society's ‘mixed messages’ about the role of men
• To grasp biblical principles and encouragement to steer the boys in your life towards confident, responsible manhood.
• To provide practical and creative tools to try with the boys in your life
• The course is designed to be lively, life-related and life-changing.

Overview of the Content

The  DVD sessions vary in length from 33 minutes to 60 minutes although most are around 46 minutes. The videos are humorously presented in front of a live audience by Dr James Dobson who is a child-psychologist, family advocate and head of the international organization Focus on the Family.

Topics

Session 1
Boys will be Boys – Appreciating the unique characteristics of boys and some ways to celebrate “Male Appreciation Week” at home.

Session 2
The Trouble with Boys – Identifying and dealing with the cultural and physical forces that make boys a challenge to raise.

Session 3
Wounded Spirits – Preventing, identifying and counteracting the “Wounded Spirit” syndrome in boys.

Session 4
Origins of Homosexuality – Understanding the origins and symptoms of gender confusion and identifying signs of possible pre-homosexuality in boys.

Session 5
Preventing Homosexuality – Helping caregivers, especially fathers, nurture healthy gender identities in their boys by giving them affection, attention and approval.

Session 6
Routine Panic – How busyness may be hindering the ability to raise boys effectively.

Session 7
Questions from Parents and Grandparents – Help dealing with a variety of boy-raising challenges by finding more time to parent.

Session 8
Men R Fools – Protecting boys from the effects of anti-male messages often found in the mass media.

Session 9
Boys R Fools Too – Raising boys to respect both themselves and the opposite sex.

Session 10
Questions from Parents and Grandparents – Dealing with a variety of parenting challenges by closely and lovingly supervising boys.

Session 11
The Ultimate Priority – Understanding the importance of cultivating a boy’s relationship with God and how to help them plan ways to do so.

Session 12
Taking Action – A review of key principles of the course, planning how to apply selected principles of raising boys.

Format of a Typical Session

The course leader’s guide is very well set out and has 4 steps to running the session:

Step 1:  Welcome the group – this includes things to say and questions to ask the group
Step 2:  Watch the video
Step 3:  Wrestle with the principles – including questions to ask, comments to make, discussion of the video and the practical “apply it” section of the handbook
Step 4:  Wrap up the session – including explaining about next week’s session, prayer, and pointing out the “try it” section of the handbook

Costs

The only cost for participants on the course is the Participants Guide (for work in groups) or the Parent Handbook for work alone $18.95

Dr James Dobson’s best selling book Bringing up Boys $24.95 in paperback, $34.95 in hardcover

Leaders Guide $24.95

Set of DVD’s $64.95

Bringing up Boys Starter Kit $255.95 Contains B6 VHS Videos, 4 DVDs, Leader's Guide, Participant's Guide, Promotion Kit including a poster and 30- and 60-second radio commercials, Bulletin Insert, Newspaper Advertisement

Why Use this Course?

This course is  for parents of boys, but also for people who are involved in the lives of boys or are interested in the dynamics of raising boys such as grandparents, Sunday School teachers and Youth Group Leaders.

It is an easy course to run and the sessions can be tailored to be short or long.

The course has sound biblical principles and looks at each issue from a biblical perspective.

The two sessions which cover homosexuality could prove challenging for the group and its leader and could be divisive for the group.