Dr. Gregory L. Jantz - Raising boys by design: what the Bible and brain science reveal about what boys need to thrive

Raising Boys by Design is a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable read. Its marvelously inspiring, well thought out, and academically supported, but its also an intuitive guide to raising boys. Every parent, teacher, and grandparent could benefit from this work.

G ARY T HOMAS , author of Sacred Marriage and Sacred Parenting

Blending biblical truth with brain science, Raising Boys by Design is truly a groundbreaking resource that offers much-needed insights for guiding boys toward health and success in every area of life.

T IM C LINTON ,P H D, president of the American Association of Christian Counselors and executive director of the Center for Counseling and Family Studies at Liberty University

Raising boys in todays world is no easy task. We need to understand how boys process their emotions and deal with bullying, peer pressure, technology, and other important issuesall of which are covered here. This must-read resource helps equip families to raise sons who will be well adjusted and heroes for life.

L INDA M INTLE ,P H D, author of Raising Healthy Kids in an Unhealthy World

We live in a society where its dangerous to be a normal, rambunctious, healthy boy. High energy is labeled hyperactive, competitiveness to excel is deemed selfish, and single-mindedness in completion of a task is considered insensitive. Societys constant attack on normal maleness instills a destructive insecurity and sense of inferiority into countless thousands of otherwise normal healthy men. Raising Boys by Design brilliantly exposes this destructive trend while providing meaningful insights and applicable solutions. If you want to protect your sons from the corrosive effects of todays world and empower them to become men after Gods own heart, then this book is for you.

T IMOTHY R. J ENNINGS , MD, author of The God-Shaped Brain, president-elect of the Tennessee Psychiatric Association, and chairman, board of regents, of the Southern Psychiatric Association

Raising Boys by Design is a clearly written and helpful book that integrates biblical truth and findings from brain science to enable sons to thrive as they grow up into adulthood.

S IANG- Y ANG T AN ,P H D, professor of psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary and author of Counseling and Psychotherapy: A Christian Perspective

I cant think of two better men to tackle one of the most compelling issues of the twenty-first century: how to raise our sons into Christ-empowered men. Backed by brain-science research, the Bible, personal experience, and a passion to impact boys, Gregg and Michael have created a playbook for Christian parents that will equip them to call their boys to follow Jesus into HEROIC manhood. If you have a son, a grandson, or a significant boy in your life, you will want to have this book by your side as you guide him on his journey to manhood.

T IM W RIGHT , pastor of Community of Grace in Peoria, Arizona, and author of Searching for Tom Sawyer: How Parents and Congregations Can Stop the Exodus of Boys from Church

I wish Id had this book when my three boys were young. Chapter 2 is worth the cost of the whole book. A must-read for every parent, this even has great material for raising girls!

D AVID S TOOP ,P H D, author and psychologist

Praise for the Work of Michael Gurian

There is no one who understands the development of boys better than Michael Gurian.

W ILLIAM D AMON ,P H D, professor of education at Stanford University and author of The Moral Child

Michael Gurian is Americas most passionate advocate for boys.

M ICHAEL T HOMPSON ,P H D, author of Its a Boy! and co-author of Raising Cain

B OOKS BY G REGORY L. J ANTZ, P H D

#hooked: The Pitfalls of Media, Technology, and Social Networking

Healthy Habits, Happy Kids: A Practical Plan to Help Your Family

The Molding of a Champion: Helping Your Child Shape a Winning Destiny

When Your Teenager Becomes The Stranger in Your House

B OOKS BY M ICHAEL G URIAN

The Minds of Boys (with Kathy Stevens): Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life

Boys and Girls Learn Differently! A Guide for Teachers and Parents

The Wonder of Boys: What Parents, Mentors, and Educators Can Do to Raise Boys into Exceptional Men

A Fine Young Man: What Parents, Mentors and Educators Can Do to Raise Adolescent Boys into Exceptional Men

R AISING B OYS BY D ESIGN
P UBLISHED BY W ATERBROOK P RESS
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. Scripture quotations marked ( NASB ) are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org).

Details in some anecdotes and stories have been changed to protect the identities of the persons involved.

Copyright 2013 by Dr. Gregory L. Jantz and Michael Gurian

Cover design by Kristopher K. Orr; cover photography by Getty Images

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, New York, a Penguin Random House Company.

W ATER B ROOK and its deer colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jantz, Gregory L.
Raising boys by design : what the Bible and brain science reveal about what boys need to thrive / Gregory Jantz and Michael Gurian, with Ann McMurray. First Edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
eISBN: 978-0-307-73169-2
1. ParentingReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Child rearingReligious aspectsChristianity. 3. Boys. 4. BoysPsychology. 5. BoysReligious life. I. Title.
BV4529.J357 2013
248.845dc23

2013015251

v3.1_r1

For the Jantz, Gurian, and McMurray families,
with love and thanks.

CONTENTS

P ART I: THE INSIDE STORY
U NDERSTANDING THE D IVINE D ESIGN AT W ORK IN Y OUR B OYS L IFE

P ART II: PUTTING IT TO WORK
D ESIGNING Y OUR S ONS J OURNEY TO M ANHOOD