teaching boys

Mythbuster: It’s Too Hard to Homeschool Tween and Teen Boys
"Could you talk about homeschooling boys? My son is driving me crazy! And you have six..." Back when we were on the board of our state homeschool organization, we heard that a lot from support group leaders. It's how we got started speaking and writing about boys and it's still something we hear all the time. "Once boys hit puberty,…
The Well-Read List
One of our sons has severe dyslexia and didn't read well until he was eleven. Once he got to high school, he realized he'd missed reading a lot of the books his brothers had read. He asked his adult brothers to make a list of the books they thought someone ought to read to be truly…
Q. Should My New Driver Take On Our Big Van?
A friend recently asked, "My oldest is about to get his learner's permit. Should I let him drive our big van in the beginning or just stick to the car? Where should I let him drive? Should we stay away from freeways and things like that?" I have them drive whatever we're driving from the…
Sweet Rewards
The other day, a college president called our boy. That boy. The one I wondered if I'd ever be able to teach him enough to fill out an application to work in fast food. It all started when he was small. I was pretty confident when we started teaching him. His older brothers all learned…
Six Ways to Raise Kids Who Love to Read
We were just talking the other night about how much we love to read. Want to know what makes us feel rich? A stack of new books from a favorite author and time to dive in. Our kids love books as much as we do. It didn't come naturally to all of them, though. Here…
Simple, Practical Ways to Get Rid of Whining
We all love our kids but there's something that nearly every parent struggles with, something nearly every child does sometimes, and something which some kids do all the time. WHINING. Oh, that awful sound. It's no surprise when a baby cries, and it shouldn't surprise us that a young child whines. A baby has to…
The Write Time for A Novel Idea
We've always found boys like a challenge and some competition -- who's fastest, strongest, and scores the most points. Here's a program which plays right into that trait: See how much you can write in a month. Several years ago I ran across a peculiar little project. The National Novel Writing Month is a tongue-in-cheek…
Q&A: How Can I Manage My Wiggle-Worm?
A mom asked, "How on earth do I manage my constantly wiggling six year old? This child won't sit still! Family devotions are so stressful - and don't even mention schoolwork or church. What can I do?" I am so with you here! Our youngest, a girl(!) has been one of those churning and burning…
Q&A: What About A Child Who Wants To Boss His Siblings?
Often we're asked, what do you do about a child who wants to police his younger brother, boss him around, and assume authority over him?   Is it ever appropriate for an older sibling to have authority over a younger one? Well, sure -- sometimes your teenager is babysitting the little ones, or driving his…
Q&A: How do I stop my son from stealing?
A reader asks, "I am having a problem with my 8 year old stealing things. He takes small things from people at school as well as things from his little brothers. A few weeks ago he took one of my diamond rings to school. I need some advice on what to do to help him…