Monica Swanson - Boy Mom: What Your Son Needs Most from You

Boy Mom

In Boy Mom Monica Swanson offers readers practical advice and resounding hope that parenting our sons well through all seasons is not only possible but also enjoyable. This book is like an essential trail guide that Ill refer to again and again in the beautiful and challenging adventure of motherhood.

B ECKY K EIFE , author of No Better Mom for the Job and mom of three spirited boys

Monica Swanson is the friend we all need in our lives: humble, straightforward, warm, full of wisdom, and short on nonsenseand she knows her stuff like no one else. In Boy Mom she holds the bar high yet is forthcoming about her own struggles and imperfections. Inside these pages youll find deeply rooted biblical and practical advice along with calls to action when you dont know where to start. The Boy Mom Manifesto at the end will not only inspire you but also make your heart swell.

K ATE MERRICK , author of Here, Now: Unearthing Peace and Presence in an Overconnected World

Monica Swanson is the ultimate Boy Mom mentor. While her perspective on parenting is grounded in biblical wisdom, each chapter holds excellent practical tools for how to work out that wisdom on a daily basis in our homes. Of course, we know there arent formulas that will ensure we get it all right, but we also know that gleaning wisdom from women who have gone before us (and are still in the trenches with us) is invaluable in the wonderful adventure of helping boys become all God created them to be.

J EANNIE C UNNION , author of Mom Set Free

Boy Mom is packed with relevant insights and practical advice to help parents intentionally raise young men of character, honor, and strength. Parents today face unprecedented challenges, and Monicas heartfelt encouragement as a mom in the trenches is timely for a generation that longs for moral direction.

K ARI K AMPAKIS , mom of four girls and author of 10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know

All who are parents, especially Boy Moms, will devour this book! Monica Swanson shares from her experience of raising four boys. Her transparency, candor, tears, and prayers have led to a book full of wisdom and incredible insight into what a boy needs to reach his destiny.

S TEPHANIE F AST , fellow Boy Mom, author of She Is Mine, speaker, and advocate for vulnerable children

Every time I told my dad I was pregnant with another boy, he responded with Thats wonderful! The world needs more godly men. I couldnt agree more. Thankfully, Monica has written a guide to help you partner with God to raise these needed men of character. In the pages of Boy Mom, you will find a wise mentor who understands the challenge of energetic boys and points you to truth and resources to help you be the kind of Boy Mom you want to be.

H EATHER M AC F ADYEN , mom of four boys and creator and host of the Dont Mom Alone podcast

As a Boy Dad, this is the book Ive been searching for. These are the wise words of a fun friend, written clearly enough to provide a blueprint for success in parenting and accessibly enough that I dont feel alone in the journey. Through Boy Mom Monica is helping me become a better dad.

R OGER T HOMPSON , author of We Stood Upon Stars

Monica Swanson casts a profoundly inspiring vision for the lives of our boys and the depth of our role as Boy Moms in shaping who they become. Each chapter is well researched, informative, and brimming with invaluable advice, strategies, and insight that left me feeling more capable than ever to help my sons live healthy, curiosity-driven, Jesus-centered lives. Perhaps the most powerful endorsement of this book is my personal testimony: it works! In just a few short weeks, I have seen my relationships with my gentlemen in training grow in respect, communication, and trustand the same goes for their relationships with their sister and father.

H OKU C LEMENTS , recording artist known for Perfect Day and Another Dumb Blonde, as well as the album Called by Name

B OY M OM

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked ( ESV ) are taken from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, ESV Text Edition (2016), copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( NASB ) are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org). Scripture quotations marked ( NLT ) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Trade Paperback ISBN9780525652717

Ebook ISBN9780525652724

Copyright 2019 by Monica Swanson

Cover design by Kristopher K. Orr; photography by Robin Skjoldborg, 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, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

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

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Swanson, Monica, author.

Title: Boy mom : what your son needs most from you / Monica Swanson.

Description: First Edition. | Colorado Springs : WaterBrook, 2019. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018049426 | ISBN 9780525652724 (pbk.) | ISBN 9780525652724 (electronic)

Subjects: LCSH: Mothers and sonsReligious aspectsChristianity. | ParentingReligious aspectsChristianity. | Child rearingReligious aspectsChristianity.

Classification: LCC BV4529.18 .S93 2019 | DDC 248.8/431dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018049426

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