RTR Boy Option Books?

[LovingJesus]

I have a few questions about the Boy Option Books in RTR:

*What age was your son when he went through these books? Were the books a good fit for the age you used them for? What age would you suggest as best?

*Did you do Boyhood and Beyond and From Boy to Men with your son, or did you have your husband do these books with him?

*Did you find them helpful?

*Are they simply scheduled in RTR, or is there work attached to them?

Thank you!

[Nealewill]

I think it is a very person decision of when you think these topics are to be covered. For me, my kids - all of them - already know where babies come from. My husband and I made the decision to bring it up in a Godly way, at a time when the kids asked enough questions, but also at a time prior to it being awkward to discuss with them.

For me, my oldest dd will start RtR when she is 10 and I fully intend to read these books to her. If my son continues on his current path, I fully intend to cover these books when he is 11. My preference is to discuss these items prior to my kids having significant hormonal feelings and prior them experiencing the bodily changes that are to come. These books prepare kids for those feels and those changes. I do have the girls set and I have read them all this spring. Most of the stuff my dd already knows. It talks about changes in your breasts, monthly period, hair growing in more places. It also talks a lot about how to be a Godly woman as well. And then the joint book on sex ed is very educational but very gentle. I made it a point to read all of the books prior to reading them to my dd so that I would know what is included and what was discussed. My guess for the boy book is that it will talk about Godly character traits for men and the changes they will go through - muscles get stronger, hair in more places, shaving their faces, voices getting deeper and any other changes that boys go through. The books are very much geared toward leading kids into this phase of growth and done in a very Godly way. In my opinion, reading these books to a boy who is as young as 10 is appropriate but every mom needs to decide that for herself. My son will be 11 so he will be one step closer to changes that are to come. And with my son, my personal intentions are for my husband to lead this study.

I also just wanted to add that there is usually some type of writing assignment with them as well. It could be copywork or it could be answer questions or narrating. But I do think there is something that does go along with some of it.

[LovingJesus]

Thank you Daneale for giving me some insight to the actual contents of the books. It has been difficult to tell from the descriptions, and I haven't been able to find any samples. Both you & Carrie are mentioning the Godly way in which the books handle these subjects, and that is helpful as well.

I agree that it is a very personal decision. I am also hoping though to hear people's experiences with them with boys to try & discern if they would be a good fit for us. It sounds like they could be.

Thank you for some insight into them. I am glad you liked reading them this spring.

[jhperry]

Just wanted to say I just finished going through Boyhood and Beyond with my son, who turned 12 in February, and it has been excellent! I really love that book...it's like an older, godly man having meaningful, wisdom-filled conversations with your son and you get to join in. Because of my husbands coaching schedule for part of the year, I have been the one to go through it with my son. We've had precious discussions that I will treasure forever! Boyhood focuses on character so even if you didn't think your son would be ready for the books on the physical changes, this one would still be appropriate. In my opinion, it's one of the best character training books out there for boys! I'm looking forward to Practical Happiness scheduled in the WG guide!

[LynnH]

My son was 12 when he used RTR. He and I did Boyhood and Beyond together and I felt like it was a fantastic book! It is all about what being a Godly man looks like, things such as being created to work. I remember that it dealt with things that we were dealing with at the time. Things like complaining and not really wanting to put forth great effort, respect for me etc. My husband went through from Boy to Man with my son. It is a very short book and deals with the topics in a fairly gentle way. It gave my husband a platform to discuss these topics with my son without putting my son on the spot. My son knew it was just part of his scheduled school day, even though they did the discussion at night. My son was already going through puberty at the time so the timing was very good. This way he wasn't confused by the physical and emotional changes he was experiencing or had already experienced.

[LovingJesus]

Thank you so much japery and LynnH!

Boyhood and Beyond sounds fabulous, and is exactly the type of book I would love to have us go through with our boys!

It sounds like Boy to Man might help my DH address these important topics.

Thank you so much for the insights!