52 Things Sons Need from Their Moms

by Angela Thomas

"He's 100 percent boy...and I just don't understand him!" Angela Thomas, bestselling author of 52 Things Kids Need from a Mom , gets it. The mother of four children, Angela brings wisdom, humor, and compassion to her new book for moms. Find encouragement and inspiration as she lays out 52 creative ways to help you connect with your son's heart. Discover how to One week at a time, learn new ways to engage with your son and raise a godly young man. This fun, guilt-free resource will help you delight in the small moments that make for an abundant life.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Christian

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2015

About the author

Angela Thomas is the best-selling author of numerous books including DO YOU THINK I'M BEAUTIFUL and MY SINGLE MOM LIFE. She is a gifted teacher and story-teller speaking to thousands each year. Angela teaches and transparently shares life experiences that draw her and others into a deeper passion for knowing God. Thomas graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill & Dallas Theological Seminary. Angela has filmed and written four video studies with LifeWay including WHEN WALLFLOWERS DANCE. Living in Greensboro, North Carolina, Angela is also a wife, mother and an ordinary woman.

Reviews

[Ellen Kehs · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I liked that this book was written in short 2-3 page chapters that I could read here and there while chasing three little boys around. Some parts felt a bit repetitive, but there were also parts that I'll tuck away in my parenting boys toolbox and hope to remember.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could easily be, "52 things girls need from their moms." It's about how to raise kids mindfully. There are a lot of great ideas and I agree 100% with them. Easy? No. But I want my son to treat women with respect, work hard and love Jesus. Have godly friends. Be influenced by great men.
And as a mother, "the grace of God is my superpower". I can do all things through God.

May we prepare our sons to become great men and with their lives, do even greater things than our minds can even conceive.

[Natasha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yuck. I couldn't get passed #8 when her she is driving her 11 year old son to school and he is upset because she packed Cheese Nibs instead of Cheez-Its. She responds by pulling the car over and lecturing him about why the crackers shouldn't bother him. By the way, she was the one who asked her son what was wrong, and he gave her an honest answer. I bet he won't make that mistake again. Next time your mom asks, "what's wrong?" you say, "nothing". Hide your feelings or your mom will just make you feel worse for having them at all.
These are pearls of wisdom I can live without.

[Laura McAninch · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not a negative person, but I honestly and respectfully did not enjoy this author's style of writing. If you are a true Christian, and spend time in Scripture, you will find your individual path in raising the children God entrusted to you. There was entirely too much fluff and confusion on events/people/divorce-when, what?-etc in this book; therefore the point and the impact of the book was lost.

[Nicole Schink · Rating 5 out of 5]

In relatable fashion, Angela weaves her story through each short and to the point chapters that will leave boy moms everywhere with better understanding of the hearts in which they’ve been entrusted with and renewed purpose to rise to the challenge and raise their sons well.

[Chinyere Evelyn Ifediora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad I read this book. It's got heart + truth + growth + unforced kindness! I pray I'm reminded of the many things I learnt from this book as I raise my son. This book just makes me want to pray more and love him more and grow personally. Thank you to the author for this precious book.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every mother of a boy/boys should read it!

[Jennine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t get past the TOC. Apparently only pertains to Christian mothers. Damn the rest of the kids with heathen mothers.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciate Angela's perspective on raising sons

[GONZA · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first mistake was to request this book without realizing that it was strictly directed to Christian mothers, said that and given that even I can sometimes consider myself such, it contrasts clearly with chapters whose title is "teach him to treat women / mother / sisters "and the chapter in which the mother in question, should teach the child to recognize the type of girl to marry. Personally I found it fun to the border with the dramatic; then clearly there is also the section of the South African context, that, as an Italian living in Berlin, is completely beyond me. In short, I was not the right person for this book, despite my Christian roots and my baby boy being almost six years old, but that does not mean that there are people who can appreciate the whole.

Il mio primo errore é stato richiedere questo libro senza accorgermi che era strettamente indirizzato a mamme cristiane, detto questo e premesso che anche io posso a volte considerarmi tale, ció contrasta in modo evidente con capitoli il cui titolo é "insegnargli a trattare le donne/madre/sorelle" e il capitolo in cui la madre in questione, dovrebbe insegnare al figlio a riconoscere il tipo di ragazza da sposare. Personalmente ho trovato il tutto divertente al confine con il drammatico, poi chiaro c'é anche il capitolo del contesto Sud-Africano, che, da italiana vivente a Berlino, mi sfugge completamente. Insomma, non ero la persona giusta per questo libro, nonostante le mie radici cristiane e il mio bambino di quasi sei anni, ma questo non significa che non ci siano persone che possano apprezzare il tutto.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHER FOR THE PREVIEW!

[Charity Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parenting book ALL MOMS SHOULD READ! I absolutely love this. It is how I strive to raise my boys and I love reading this confirmation with new ideas. Raising our kids is not about making sure the stay in the lines or else we crack the whip. It's understanding why they would step outside the lines and looking at the heart to see what's wrong. It's focusing on what's happening inside. Are their eyes happy and full of life? Are they in love with Jesus? Or, are they scared that you will freak out if they mess up? Are they disconnected from you when their friends are over, or do they want you around?

It's so important to raise our kids to be connected to us and to God. The only way to do that is through being open in our weaknesses and using those to teach our kids life lessons, plus, a LOT of prayer! If my walk with God isn't what it should be, that sets the tone for our whole household.

This is such an easy to read, wow moment type of book. I love it! Please pick up a copy for yourself and a friend!! This should be in the hands of every momma!!

Thank you, netgalley, for this awesome read. As always, this is my honest opinion. Here's to many more!!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book and I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it. I loved how it started and then continued to make me feel like we were new friends sitting down and discussing the ins and outs of raising boys. She didn't claim to be a psychologist or other kind of professional, she just shared things that she has learned in her years as a mom. As with all conversations with mom friends, there were things that I agreed with and plan to implement with my boys and then there were other things that I saw the value of but didn't feel it necessarily applied to my parenting style. I loved how devoted the author is to God. This may be too much for some people, but I felt that God and religion were so much a part of the author and her life that it was natural to share it as much as she did. Because God and religion are crucial to me and my family, I could relate to the first few chapters and felt that many of the early tips were already part of our family life. The later chapters, and especially talking about raising sons as they get older, really offered some good food for thought for me.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC generously provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you are a mother to boys this is a must read. I have three sons and some of the information I already knew (or believed) but some was really eye opening. I am always looking for ways to be a better mom and know how to connect with my kids and this is filled with some great ideas. It is a fast easy read but I did do lots of marking so I could go back to certain areas to remind myself of things I wanted to make sure and do.