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What a Son Needs from His Dad
He may be a little boy asking you to play catch today, but what about the years to come? Will you still be an important influence, helping him realize the potential God has given him?
As a man, you know a lot of what your son will face, and no one is in a better position to prepare him for life. Michael O'Donnell's insights offer simple but powerful techniques to start your son on the road to maturity. You can build the father-son bond you want and lead him into healthy, well-balanced manhood.
What a Son Needs From His Dad will give you proven day-to-day strategies to
· model what it looks like to be a disciple of Christ
· teach responsible habits toward work and money
· dialogue about sexuality and prepare him for marriage
· encourage godly friendships with other boys and men
Your attention, your values, and your opinions matter to him--for now. Don't squander your chance to impact your son for life.
As a man, you know a lot of what your son will face, and no one is in a better position to prepare him for life. Michael O'Donnell's insights offer simple but powerful techniques to start your son on the road to maturity. You can build the father-son bond you want and lead him into healthy, well-balanced manhood.
What a Son Needs From His Dad will give you proven day-to-day strategies to
· model what it looks like to be a disciple of Christ
· teach responsible habits toward work and money
· dialogue about sexuality and prepare him for marriage
· encourage godly friendships with other boys and men
Your attention, your values, and your opinions matter to him--for now. Don't squander your chance to impact your son for life.
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2011
27 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Michael O'Donnell
96 books3 followers is an American writer and researcher and co-principal investigator of the Adolescent Wellness Research Project
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 7, 2020
The author is a teacher by profession and I realized this from the way he writes, how he presents his ideas, etc. Sometimes too rigid, too many definitions for too many things, but overall I really liked the book, even if I do not agree with the author in all aspects.
Really worth reading!
Really worth reading!
June 14, 2019
7 core issues for laying a foundation of healthy masculine character: devout disciples of Christ, good citizens, responsible workers/good job, good friends, able to enjoy life, sexually pure, avoids pornography; love their wife, good marriage;
Our success as fathers depends on our relationship with God. Because your son is a gift from the Lord (Ps. 127:3), God intended you to train him up. He gave you His Word, prayer, and the Holy Spirit to name a few - to aid you in parenting. Therefore, you stand to help him become a man of strength and character. Ask God to reveal any family histories that need broken. Ask God to help you to be honest about your motives and dreams for your son.
Our power as fathers comes from practicing what we preach, and from discussing instead of preaching! We must ask our sons to follow our example as we learn to follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Son’s emotional needs: security, trust, unconditional love, acceptance, self-esteem (largely dependent on the recognition, attention, appreciation he receives from you), freedom, limits;
When establishing boundaries it can be a gate, deterrent against biting, or boundary of attitude (require to say please, thank you, not permitting bad langauge, or back talk), and should be age appropriate. Give principles rather than rules.
We must give our sons a sense of purpose beyond themselves.
It’s important to lighten up and have fun, this will develop your son’s creativity and spontaneity to enjoy life. You will help your son meet life’s challenges with good humor and attitude.
Good definition: Sanctification occurs when every day after my conversion, I am to let God show me parts of my life that need to be changed from my character to His character. When I see my weaknesses, failures, and sins, I go to him for empowering grace and forgiveness by confessing and repenting of wrongdoing. I let God put the fruit of Christian character in its place. Little by little i become set apart form my old way of responding to life by the slow, powerful, determined work of the HS in my daily experiences.
Help your son to learn to yield to the Holy Spirit, so that impurities are refined in molten metal, so that Jesus can be reflected.
The path of spiritual disciplines does not produce the change, it only puts us in the place where the change can occur. This is the way of disciplined grace.
He who rushes from his bed to his business and waits not to worship in prayer, is as foolish as though he had not put on his clothes or washed his face, and is as unwise as though he dashed into battle without arms or armor. =Anonymous
Lord’s Prayer, My Father, who has show me fatherly love through _____. You have shown my need to be reverent through _____. You have revealed your holiness to me by _____. I became a member of your kingdom on _____ and am ministering in _____ to work for the coming of your kingdom. I need your will to be done in _____ and commit myself to doing what you reveal your will to be. My basic needs today are _____. I trust you to supply them, and i will not waste my energy worrying about them. I have forgiven _____ and want you to forgive anyone who has wronged me. i ask you to forgive me for _____. Today I face temptations to _____, _____, and _____. I know Satan’s power is luring me to do what is wrong. I trust your much stronger power to lead me away from temptation and so I commit myself now to follow your leadership.
Worship is nothing other than wanting to embrace, and to be embraced by the Father who is loving in all His ways.
The best way to be a good citizen is to learn to be a citizen of the kingdom of God. Membership in this kingdom is characterized by valuing life in the place of death, unity/reconciliation > alienation/division, righteousness > corruption/wickedness, love/peace > hatred/strife, unremitting conflict with evil in place of flabby compromise with it. John Stott.
Illustration of man who kept denying his kids: Build the fort today dads, please build the fort today! One man came up to him afterwards and said, “I’m a homosexual. I’ve been searching for my father in illicit sexual relationships with men.” I hugged him as he wept.
Expect the best. Embrace your son. Be involved (diapers, clothing, bedtime, reading, pray and bless him)
A son will model his father in touch, expression of feelings, willingness to admit mistakes, care and respect of mom/wife, and treatment of other women.
Our success as fathers depends on our relationship with God. Because your son is a gift from the Lord (Ps. 127:3), God intended you to train him up. He gave you His Word, prayer, and the Holy Spirit to name a few - to aid you in parenting. Therefore, you stand to help him become a man of strength and character. Ask God to reveal any family histories that need broken. Ask God to help you to be honest about your motives and dreams for your son.
Our power as fathers comes from practicing what we preach, and from discussing instead of preaching! We must ask our sons to follow our example as we learn to follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Son’s emotional needs: security, trust, unconditional love, acceptance, self-esteem (largely dependent on the recognition, attention, appreciation he receives from you), freedom, limits;
When establishing boundaries it can be a gate, deterrent against biting, or boundary of attitude (require to say please, thank you, not permitting bad langauge, or back talk), and should be age appropriate. Give principles rather than rules.
We must give our sons a sense of purpose beyond themselves.
It’s important to lighten up and have fun, this will develop your son’s creativity and spontaneity to enjoy life. You will help your son meet life’s challenges with good humor and attitude.
Good definition: Sanctification occurs when every day after my conversion, I am to let God show me parts of my life that need to be changed from my character to His character. When I see my weaknesses, failures, and sins, I go to him for empowering grace and forgiveness by confessing and repenting of wrongdoing. I let God put the fruit of Christian character in its place. Little by little i become set apart form my old way of responding to life by the slow, powerful, determined work of the HS in my daily experiences.
Help your son to learn to yield to the Holy Spirit, so that impurities are refined in molten metal, so that Jesus can be reflected.
The path of spiritual disciplines does not produce the change, it only puts us in the place where the change can occur. This is the way of disciplined grace.
He who rushes from his bed to his business and waits not to worship in prayer, is as foolish as though he had not put on his clothes or washed his face, and is as unwise as though he dashed into battle without arms or armor. =Anonymous
Lord’s Prayer, My Father, who has show me fatherly love through _____. You have shown my need to be reverent through _____. You have revealed your holiness to me by _____. I became a member of your kingdom on _____ and am ministering in _____ to work for the coming of your kingdom. I need your will to be done in _____ and commit myself to doing what you reveal your will to be. My basic needs today are _____. I trust you to supply them, and i will not waste my energy worrying about them. I have forgiven _____ and want you to forgive anyone who has wronged me. i ask you to forgive me for _____. Today I face temptations to _____, _____, and _____. I know Satan’s power is luring me to do what is wrong. I trust your much stronger power to lead me away from temptation and so I commit myself now to follow your leadership.
Worship is nothing other than wanting to embrace, and to be embraced by the Father who is loving in all His ways.
The best way to be a good citizen is to learn to be a citizen of the kingdom of God. Membership in this kingdom is characterized by valuing life in the place of death, unity/reconciliation > alienation/division, righteousness > corruption/wickedness, love/peace > hatred/strife, unremitting conflict with evil in place of flabby compromise with it. John Stott.
Illustration of man who kept denying his kids: Build the fort today dads, please build the fort today! One man came up to him afterwards and said, “I’m a homosexual. I’ve been searching for my father in illicit sexual relationships with men.” I hugged him as he wept.
Expect the best. Embrace your son. Be involved (diapers, clothing, bedtime, reading, pray and bless him)
A son will model his father in touch, expression of feelings, willingness to admit mistakes, care and respect of mom/wife, and treatment of other women.
May 27, 2022
Good book setting a foundation for a father/son relationship.
January 4, 2012
It's obvious that specifically in our nation there has been a lack of dads stepping up to raise their children, and it's causing a difference in how the future generation of men will also perceive themselves. This book attempts to address, and encourage dads to be active in their sons lives, and gives guidance on how to Biblically lead their children into manhood.
This book gives some good tips in a short amount of pages. It does a good job of progressing the dad from probably the easier task of raising a boy to the more difficult ones. It encourages being a leader, and example in all aspects of his life including, how he picks his friends, and how he'll perceive relationships with women. I think it was also a good idea to have a moment in your son's life where you make it a special occasion that he has progressed into manhood, and that you are present for it. Overall the author thinks the root of what will keep your son strong in his commitments, and moral is the foundation in his beliefs in God that you have guided him in.
My only thing about the book is that I felt a lot of the information was repeated information. The author quotes a lot of other books, and some portions seemed to have been paraphrased from other books. All that does is make you think you need to buy other books to have a further grasp of the subject matter this book is believed to explain.
I think this book had some insightful moments, but I'll never be a dad raising a son, so their might have been some disconnect for me. If you are someone who has a husband, knows a father, you are a father, or you plan to be one day, then this book would be recommended.
This book was provided by Bethany House in exchange for a review.
This book gives some good tips in a short amount of pages. It does a good job of progressing the dad from probably the easier task of raising a boy to the more difficult ones. It encourages being a leader, and example in all aspects of his life including, how he picks his friends, and how he'll perceive relationships with women. I think it was also a good idea to have a moment in your son's life where you make it a special occasion that he has progressed into manhood, and that you are present for it. Overall the author thinks the root of what will keep your son strong in his commitments, and moral is the foundation in his beliefs in God that you have guided him in.
My only thing about the book is that I felt a lot of the information was repeated information. The author quotes a lot of other books, and some portions seemed to have been paraphrased from other books. All that does is make you think you need to buy other books to have a further grasp of the subject matter this book is believed to explain.
I think this book had some insightful moments, but I'll never be a dad raising a son, so their might have been some disconnect for me. If you are someone who has a husband, knows a father, you are a father, or you plan to be one day, then this book would be recommended.
This book was provided by Bethany House in exchange for a review.
March 16, 2012
Okay it’s probably obvious I’m not a dad – but I do have a son and I enjoy reading books that give me insight into raising my son. My husband and I disagree on how we should raise our children – and so when I had the chance to review this book, I wanted to read it so I could understand what my son needs. I liked that the chapters were short, so that in the event if my husband ever wanted to read it, he would feel overwhelmed with the wealth of knowledge that is included. While the author does focus on the physical, boys need hugs and kisses from their dads, he also focuses on the spiritual – boys should see their dads reading the Bible and leading family worship, and the emotional – never call your sons names like sissy or make fun of them.
I really think this is a book that dads should read, if they aren’t sure of their leadership within the home and need a push to leading the family in worship, if they aren’t sure how to guide their son without yelling and name calling, this is the book that will provide a great starting point and help steer dads in the right direction. Even if the dad is a great leader and already knows how to cater to his sons emotional, physical and spiritual well being this book will still give great insight into what every son needs from his dad in order to grow into a husband and dad who loves the Lord one day.
**I was provided a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest opinion, no other compensation was given.
I really think this is a book that dads should read, if they aren’t sure of their leadership within the home and need a push to leading the family in worship, if they aren’t sure how to guide their son without yelling and name calling, this is the book that will provide a great starting point and help steer dads in the right direction. Even if the dad is a great leader and already knows how to cater to his sons emotional, physical and spiritual well being this book will still give great insight into what every son needs from his dad in order to grow into a husband and dad who loves the Lord one day.
**I was provided a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest opinion, no other compensation was given.
January 5, 2012
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Bethany House Publishers
While I disagree with some of the author's beliefs - I'm a little less "traditional" than he is (for example, the ideas of homosexuality are something we disagree greatly on) - I found this book at least a sincere guide for fathers. He discusses the seven core principles he feels make a solid foundation for "healthy masculine character", which are:
being a devout disciple of Christ
being a good citizen
being a responsible worker
choosing good friends
enjoying life
being responsible and understanding about sexuality
and being lovers of their wives (page 17)
At the end of each chapter are sections for thought and discussion, kind of putting things to work. Within the book he touches on the eight stages of development from birth to old age, as well as the seven developmental foundation stones, as he calls them. It's an easy, quick read with lots of good points, from the idea of active listening, the fairness approach, to the difference between punishment and discipline - even touching on the components of discipline.
Even despite the few areas he and I may not agree, I would recommend this book to Christian fathers. It's not the best father guide I've read, but it certainly isn't one I mind adding to my collection.
While I disagree with some of the author's beliefs - I'm a little less "traditional" than he is (for example, the ideas of homosexuality are something we disagree greatly on) - I found this book at least a sincere guide for fathers. He discusses the seven core principles he feels make a solid foundation for "healthy masculine character", which are:
being a devout disciple of Christ
being a good citizen
being a responsible worker
choosing good friends
enjoying life
being responsible and understanding about sexuality
and being lovers of their wives (page 17)
At the end of each chapter are sections for thought and discussion, kind of putting things to work. Within the book he touches on the eight stages of development from birth to old age, as well as the seven developmental foundation stones, as he calls them. It's an easy, quick read with lots of good points, from the idea of active listening, the fairness approach, to the difference between punishment and discipline - even touching on the components of discipline.
Even despite the few areas he and I may not agree, I would recommend this book to Christian fathers. It's not the best father guide I've read, but it certainly isn't one I mind adding to my collection.
December 26, 2011
This small book packs a large message—Dads, get involved in your sons’ lives. If you ever plan to teach your sons how to be men, you must invest the time to not only teach them, but you must also SHOW them how to become godly men. A son requires hands on training from his dad. He also requires a close relationship with him.
Play with your son.
Read to him.
Talk to him.
Tell him you love him.
Respect him.
Give him responsibility.
Let him watch you work and interact with other people.
Let him see you pray and serve others.
This will develop the same traits in him. Do these things and your son will make you proud. This book is short, to the point, and a quick read. Just right for a busy dad who wants to learn more about being a good father.
I received this complimentary copy from Bethany House Publishers for this review. A positive review was not required and the opinions expressed here are my own.
Play with your son.
Read to him.
Talk to him.
Tell him you love him.
Respect him.
Give him responsibility.
Let him watch you work and interact with other people.
Let him see you pray and serve others.
This will develop the same traits in him. Do these things and your son will make you proud. This book is short, to the point, and a quick read. Just right for a busy dad who wants to learn more about being a good father.
I received this complimentary copy from Bethany House Publishers for this review. A positive review was not required and the opinions expressed here are my own.
July 3, 2016
The book is divided into chapters, each dealing with a different aspect of parenting a son. At the end of each chapter are discussion questions that can be used to apply the information just learned.
This book would make a great men's group study.
Even though I'm a mom, I enjoyed reading the book and felt like I could use some of the information given. My husband is definitely going to read the book, but I'm glad that I was able to read it first so we can discuss it together.
It is well written and easy to read. The information isn't too detailed and has illustrative stories to make the information seem real. It's a book that any dad would benefit from reading.
I received this book free of charge from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.
This book would make a great men's group study.
Even though I'm a mom, I enjoyed reading the book and felt like I could use some of the information given. My husband is definitely going to read the book, but I'm glad that I was able to read it first so we can discuss it together.
It is well written and easy to read. The information isn't too detailed and has illustrative stories to make the information seem real. It's a book that any dad would benefit from reading.
I received this book free of charge from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.
January 22, 2012
What a Son Needs From His Dad is a really short book at 141 pages. There's lots of wisdom packed in there, though. There were so many things mentioned that I'd never thought about!
Obviously, this book was written for men, but even as a woman, my mind was opened to many things my sons will face, and things they will need as they grow. I do think that men will get more out of it, though. It has managed to get a spot on my keeper shelf, and I will re-visit it as my little ones grow into young men!
My favorite chapter was the one on creativity!
With this book being so short, the suggestions made are direct and to the point. If you don't like or connect to something being said, it won't be long before you make it to another point.
Overall, I liked it!
Obviously, this book was written for men, but even as a woman, my mind was opened to many things my sons will face, and things they will need as they grow. I do think that men will get more out of it, though. It has managed to get a spot on my keeper shelf, and I will re-visit it as my little ones grow into young men!
My favorite chapter was the one on creativity!
With this book being so short, the suggestions made are direct and to the point. If you don't like or connect to something being said, it won't be long before you make it to another point.
Overall, I liked it!
August 24, 2015
This is not a large book but it contains a lot of important information. Having a son who is just over a year old much of the advice provided by Michael O'Donnell is not yet relevant but very good for me to know - and prepare for. Written from a strongly Christian perspective this book, in clear and easily followed points, deals with how to positively influence your son. I think about many of my students, from broken marriages - like so many in society today, and realise the importance of boys being raised in positive, Christian environments. This book is a vital guide in how that is done. Highly recommended for all fathers.
Want to read
June 5, 2012[free nook book]
July 9, 2012
This was a well written book. There wasn't anything particularly earth-shattering, but the information was good and the references for further reading will prove helpful.
March 20, 2014
Ah man. I found this book to be very insightful! Although, I do not have children yet, this book was well-written with wisdom!
April 9, 2014
Great Success requires Great Preparation
A great book on the work we can do to prepare our sons for the world they face. I plan to use this book with my son.
A great book on the work we can do to prepare our sons for the world they face. I plan to use this book with my son.
August 22, 2016
Spend time with your Son, and pray a lot. How to teach 'birdsandbees' parts were kinda creepy...
January 12, 2024
كتاب رائع يعطي نصائح وارشادات عملية لكيفية تعامل الاب مع ابنه وكيفية تربيته تربية مسيحية صالحة في ظل التحديات التي سيواجهها في العالم.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews