Wild Things (review)

Title: WILD THINGS (The Art of Nurturing Boys)
Authors: Stephen James, M.A. and David Thomas, M.S.S.W.
Publisher: Tyndale
2009
ISBN: 978-1-4143-2227-8
Genre: Inspirational/parenting/family and relationships

BORN TO BE…WILD!

A boy is hungry for adventure, has an endless imagination, and a passionate spirit, but in spite of him pushing you away and pushing the boundaries, he also has a desire to be affirmed, esteemed and loved.

Our parenting styles have changed over the years so that our methods of parenting and educating children doesn’t affirm, celebrate, or embrace a boy’s natural tendencies, but rather seeks to tame it. As a result many parents are frustrated, confused, and wearied by their sons’ behavior.

Both Mr. James and Mr. Thomas are therapists used to working with boys, and they have written WILD THINGS with the goal of helping parents and others who work with boys to understand the ways of boys and the vital role that we as parents play on the journey to manhood.

The book is divided up into sections, exploring what a male is like at each age, going into detail on how his brain works and the different learning styles, and then the boy’s heart. There is also a section about hot topics, that every parent needs to know and address at some point in their life—such as spanking, dating, masturbation, depression, and many others.

I read through the book, but played close attention to the age my two boys were, and was amazed at how accurately they portrayed that age. My boys are in the “Wanderer” group, which is made up of late middle school through finishing high school. I learned a lot about my boys from that section. Any parent, teacher, mentor, grandparent, and other caregivers will learn a lot from picking up a copy of WILD THINGS. I highly recommend this book. It will be invaluable. $14.99. 351 pages.