Is That Normal?

"Is that normal?" This is a question that my bride often asks about our son. Yes, I reassure her, that strange behavior is considered normal in boy-boy world. I'm not sure she really believes me, given that the world the male species inhabits seems a strange and incomprehensible one to her.

I recently read a great book on the topic of helping boys find their way in life. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, teacher, mentor or friend, if you are in a position to have an impact on a boy between 1 and 25 years of age, I would strongly recommend your read "Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys." The authors (James and Thomas) who wrote this book have sons of their own and work as therapist with boys and young men. While they do discuss how biology effects behavior, this is more for background purposes. The authors break down the life of a boy into stages and then address what "normal" behavior is in this stage. They start with "who he is" in each stage, then move to "what he needs" and finish with "putting the principles into practice". The latter two sections focus on how we can help boys navigate these different stages in their lives appropriately and grow into healthy men.

If you have boys, put this one on the top of your list!