For five years, I was the mother of all girls (three of them). I was the sister to only one sister. I did not really “get” boys. I mean, as a flirty teen, I thought I did, but in any way that matters as a mom? Not.at.all When baby number four was born, my husband was overjoyed to have his first son. I was amazed at how different he was from his sisters. I had babysat boys before, but spending every waking (and sleeping) moment with this little boy opened my eyes to just how different boys are from girls. Thankfully, I was introduced around that time to an online mom’s group. In this wonderful space I met a mom that had six boys! Not only did she have experience with the quirkiness and normalness of being a boy-mom, but she was quick to encourage and offer tips. I don’t think this woman knows just how much she meant to me in those early years of parenting my son. Fast forward a decade and this mom is still helping moms.
Melanie Young along with her husband, Hal, are the wonderful, Godly parents behind Raising Real Men – the book, the website, and the speaking ministry. We have been utilizing their resources as long as they have had them available. They have never steered us wrong. As much as the subject is one we’d rather avoid, their latest resource is a much-needed one. Love, Honor, and Virtue Gaining or Regaining a Biblical Attitude Toward Sexuality from Great Waters Press (their publishing company) addresses so much more than “The Talk”. It can be read by the parents (or listened to – we received the audio version, read by Hal) but is intended for your son (teens and older) himself.
Living on a homestead – with livestock that, um, reproduces has given our children a good understanding of that act. It has let the conversation that often starts “how did the baby get there” come about fairly easily and naturally. Part of the awkwardness is lessened. But, there is so much more to the conversations about sex and all things related. We emphasize that sex is part of marriage, in God’s design for creating families. When so much of the world does not represent the Biblical ideal, it makes sin seem normal, especially in this area.
Love, Honor, and Virtue covers all those needed areas, and does it well. There are specific details of the biology of women’s and men’s bodies and how things work when it comes to sex. As awkward as that was for me to listen to, I greatly appreciated how it flowed from speaking of marriage. Sex was not just biology, but an act of marriage. I don’t think my 12 year old son is quite ready for that part, but maybe I am just trying to keep him little. My husband has yet to offer his opinion. It is a difficult conversation, but a needed one. With all the images being forced on us through advertising alone, it is not a topic to wait on or leave your son to figure out on his own.
The chapters are:
- It’s All Connected
- The Enemy Perverts God’s Design
- How Can a Young Man Keep His Way Pure?
- Recovering From a Fall
- Guys and Girls
By keeping Scripture as the basis in the explanations and conversations, we can keep showing what is God’s design, regardless of what the world shows.
Love, Honor, and Virtue is one of the titles from Great Waters Press being reviewed by the Homeschool Review Crew. To read our reviews for this title and No Longer Little, Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope, click the image below.
