Father to Son: Life Lessons on Raising a Boy

by Harry H. Harrison Jr.

A young boy doesn't come with instructions. He just comes with boundless energy, spirit, and love, all waiting to be shaped. And one of the powerful forces in the shaping is the wish to grow up to be "just like Dad," who was himself a young boy once. With apologies to mothers and daughters, there's really nothing like the primal bond between a son and his father.
A little book of wisdom for fathers on raising boys, "Father to Son" is a guide to the joys and responsibilities of fatherhood. Divided into sections covering the different stages of a boy's life, the book features one succinct lesson per page--some lighthearted, some serious, all supported by the book's strong moral backbone. Here is the importance of passing along skills-- "Show him how to eat an Oreo." "Show him how to put a baseball in a new glove and wrap a belt around it." Of setting a good example--"Be home for dinner." "Do push-ups together." Of staying involved-- "Race him. You'll never forget the day he beats you." "Be sure to meet his girlfriends." Being flexible--"If his favorite thing about organized sports is the uniform, let him wear it to school." Offering guideposts, material and intangible-- "Hang a punching bag in the garage." "Put a computer in his room. Never a TV." "Never tell him boys don't cry-ask him why he's crying." Nurturing responsibility-- "Make him understand that even a small lie makes him a liar." "Teach him the joy of finishing a job." And instilling wonder--"Teach him the joys of staring at the moon." "Encourage him to go barefoot."

Genres: Parenting, Self Help, Childrens, Nonfiction, Family

314 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Harry H. Harrison Jr. is a parenting expert and author of 1,001 Things It Means to Be a Dad and other 1,001 Things books from Thomas Nelson. For many years, he operated his own award-winning creative consultancy firm, Harrison Creative Directions.

Reviews

[Haines Eason · Rating 2 out of 5]

More worthy than originally anticipated. This pocket edition is a collection of one-to-three-sentence aphorisms on the subject of raising boys. I found it more uplifting than not, and only really chafed at the section on spirituality (the book is written by a Texan, so take this section’s advice with a grain of salt).

[Danielle Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this quick chunky little book sometime last year. Each page has one small idea, such as take your kiddo stargazing or teach him to call 911. Lots of good advice.

[ChapterOne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not the father but who cares. I love this cute little book anyway :)

Little boys -
"Teach him how to dial 911 and when and why."

Boys and girls -
"When you drive him on dates, make sure he gets out of the car to get his girlfriend. You'd be amazed how many boys still think they can just honk and she'll come running."

Boys and money -
"If he needs it, loan him money. Make him pay you back."

Older boys -
"Talk to him about his dreams. And about yours."

[Joel Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and concise tidbits for fathers both young and old.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of small tidbits of advice for fathers in raising their sons. There are a lot of nice things in this book, but the book is 18 years old now and some of it seems a bit dated.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good beach book

[Matus Horvath · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super nice book filled with short foods for thoughts, not all are relevant, yet one of those books one should come back to regularly

[Melenia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Outdated. A lot of the advice was contradictory.

[Dillon Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid list of advice when looking for tools to become a better parent.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good one,full of inspirative quotes. Not all can be used at once,But it helps mostly in times of dispair.

[Ibrahim Ramadah · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب اعتقد يجب قراءته مرة كل شهر فكل كلمة فيه تستحق الوقوف والتفكير فيه ملياً
ربما كثير من النصائح بعيده عن عالمنا العربي لكن بلا شك ستأخذها في الحسبان

في كل نصيحة تقرأتها تشعر ان وراها قصه عاشها الكاتب.



قرأته مرتين الى الآن وسوف أقوم قرأته في المستقبل


قرأت النسخة المترجمة من الكتاب من مازن الرمال في هذا الرابط

http://rammal.wordpress.com/2009/02/1...

[Holly]

My husband read through this boo quickly, but enjoyed the words of wisdom.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book. I have sons and want to help them become men. There is good counsel in this book.

[Major Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great, if a bit lengthy, list of things to do with your Son.

[Russ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice book of fatherly advice. Some of it I knew and some of it I didn't.