What a Son Needs From His Mom by Cheri Fuller (book review)

From the back cover:

Ever Feel Like Your Son Is From a Different Planet?

Don't worry, Mom. There's a good reason why your son perplexes you. He's the OPPOSITE sex! Boys really do think, communicate, and process the world differently than girls. But no matter your son's age, he needs you, and he needs you in not-so-apparent ways.
Drawing from her own experiences, as well as those from moms and sons from around the country, Cheri Fuller shares what makes boys and young men tick and how to become a more welcome influence at every stage in their lives. She answers all the top questions, including:

"How can I help my son (and me!) deal with his emotions in a healthy way?"
"School is such a struggle. How can I help him?"
"Our personalities are SO different. How can we get on the same page?"
"My son hardly says a thing. What can I do?"
"What are the best ways to instill good values?"
"How can I encourage a lasting faith in God?"

With page after page of use-it-today advice and encouraging stories, this book will help you steer your son toward becoming a caring, confident young man.

Includes Reflection Questions for Personal or Group Use

Great for understanding grandsons, too!

My thoughts:

I have 2 brothers, both younger than me. I grew up and hung around my girl cousins. I will admit that I was secretly glad that my first child was a girl because, I know NOTHING about raising boys. This book has given me insight and some understanding into what I can expect as my boys grow up.

I also learned a valuable lesson from this book. That lesson is that it is my job to instill confidence, understanding, to give both time and effort in my son's life, so that he can be raised to be a confident, independent adult who can then turn to lead his own family. I am my son's first teachers. My husband and I are the teachers that our sons will have from birth until we are dead. That is a great responsibility and not something that I take lightly.

I liked this book, however I have put it on my bookshelf to reread in a few years. My sons are young (3 and 1) and most of this book was geared to mothers of adolescent boys and older boys. I felt that that was the one downfall, however I can understand why Fuller did not devote more time to mothering younger boys. That being said, this book has definitely earned a place in my parenting repertoire of books.

Disclaimer: I was provided this book free of charge from the publisher, Bethany House, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.