Manly Virtues

Celebrate Presidents Day
With Men of Great Character–Free!
Here's a neat resource you can download for free and share with your sons in honor of Presidents Day -- examples from the lives of great men who have led our country! Several years before he became our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt and his friend Henry Cabot Lodge wrote a collection of stories to teach…
What’s The One Most Important Thing?
We recently reached a milestone online – our Facebook page Raising Real Men has gathered 20,000 fans. In the discussion that morning, one of our readers asked, “As a single mom, can you tell me the one most important thing I can teach my son?” (more…)
How to Talk to Your Children When Christian Leaders Fall
This has been a pretty sobering week for many homeschool families. A very prominent leader and speaker in Christian homeschool circles confessed to an inappropriate relationship with a woman and resigned from his ministry and speaking engagements. As speakers ourselves, we and our children know most of the other families on the speaking circuit, so…
Sometimes Even The Youngs Are Speechless
Sometimes even the Youngs are speechless. It's rare,  I know, but it does happen! Last night we drove up to our house, hours late, exhausted, but delighted to be home. We had just finished 8563 miles, 20 states, five conventions and more than a month away. Our grown sons met us in the front yard.…
Teaching the Manly Virtue of Controlling Your Mouth – and Heart
I just read a news article about a young newscaster on the air for the first - and last - time at his first job out of college. His first words on the air were a blast of profanity. Oh, he didn't know his microphone was on, but part of a reporter's training is to…
Risk and Reward
Most of us have been frustrated at some time or another by our boy's love of risk-taking and adventure. They seem to do the craziest things and seldom think enough about them first. As a mom, I want to protect them and coddle them and keep them completely safe. What they need, though, is balance!…
Character-Building Books for Boys
Someone just recently asked on our Facebook page: Do you have a list of book recommendations for building character and vocabulary? My son reads about 200 to 300 pages a day and I cannot keep up with the previewing. We had the same question when our oldest boys were younger. They could race through books…
Biblical Manhood
Feel free to share, friends! And don't miss the lowest price of the year on Raising Real Men in our Merry Christmas Shop!  (more…)
Bring Back Work Week: The Pleasure of Accomplishment
A few weeks ago, our son Matt came in and said, "Mom, you know it makes a guy feel good to take responsibility - to meet a need, to do something that matters. I had no idea how much fun it could be to be the one to take care of something." I think there…
Bring Back Work Week: The Virtue of Selflessness
Awhile back, something changed my attitude toward our children and their spending habits - and we are all better off for it. We were out and about somewhere and one of the children said, "Mama, I'd like to buy the family dessert!" It almost happened right then. I could feel the words forming in my mind…