Great book that emphases the importance of the mothers influence in teaching them about love and what it means to be love until 6 years of age. Thereafter the important role fathers play in providing a role model for the boy until the age of 13. Thereafter the important role mentors play in the boys development. Great read for first time mom and dads. ( )

There are a lot of books out there about boys and how to raise them, and as the mother of two, I had read nearly all of them when I got to this one. This is the only one that impacted how I parent.

Biddulph gives research-based information about the physiology of boys (one example: males' fine motor skills tend to develop later), and follows it with practical suggestions (such as delaying school entrance by a year, to give those fine motor skills a chance to catch up). Moving up through adolescence and young adulthood, Biddulph gives ideas for giving boys the type of support they need to transition successfully to manhood. ( )

Had this book for several years now. A good read for women with sons who only grew up with sisters, went to an all girls school and then into nursing and had no idea how it is for growing boys. The wiring is very different!! This book helps to understand that. I am also convinced that young boys need positive male role models in order to suceed. ( )

While Biddulph makes some interesting and valid points, much of this book annoys me. Perhaps it is because so many points are made without much back-up information, it is more just "Well, i say this, therefore it is right". Perhaps it is just too simplistic in places. Which is a shame, because there ARE some good points in here, especially about shaping the emotional maturity of boys, especially by parental modelling. It just could have been packaged differently, and better. ( )