Book Review – What a Son Needs From His Mom

Hello friends and welcome back!  Today, I wanted to share a book review with you for a recent gem of a non-fiction book I listened to on audible. This was my first audiobook!  Check out my last blog post on audiobooks.  The book is entitled What a Son Needs from his Mom, and it was written by bestselling author and parenting expert Cheri Fuller.

I normally read fiction books, so listening to a non-fiction book was a unique experience for me.  Still, as a mother of boys, the moment I read the title I knew I had to read it. So much for not judging a book by its cover, eh?

If I had to summarize the novel, I would say it is intended to equip mothers with the ability to raise their sons into healthy, confident, and caring young men.  The book is faith based, and while those passages are a different religion to mine, the messages were still well received. You can’t go wrong when the motivation behind raising your children is God, religion aside.

I like the author’s tendency to teach through real life example.  She shares stories about her family, and close friends. The author relates the challenges they faced, and how they guided their children.  They were everyday examples, the kinds you can relate to.

The reflective questions at the end of the chapter made me look inward. I always stopped listening after the questions to actually reflect on what was asked. What could I be doing better as a parent? How do I cultivate a loving relationship, while encouraging my sons to grow into independent young men?

Audible has a cool feature which allows you to record clips of the last thirty seconds.  This feature was useful to me in going back and listening to the parts that moved me.

A couple of snippets that hit home for me:

“One of the greatest needs a son has in his first two years is a secure attachment and bond with his mother.  When a mother reacts reliably and sensitively to her infant’s needs, he will form an internal connection to her, what psychologists call a secure attachment.”   This statement hit home for me, but it also made me wonder if I had always reacted compassionately. It can be challenging in the midst of raising another young child, and the other (well-worth it) responsibilities that come with child-rearing. Any parents feel me on that?

“There are other people in a boy’s life that influence him, like his father, grandparents, teachers, sisters, brothers and coaches, yet the first and strongest influence is his mother.”

“There are many reasons a son needs his mom. In the early years she provides safety love, and nurture, or tender loving care.”

The above are just a few of the gems from the novel, and I would definitely recommend this read to mothers of boys. While goodreads rated the book a 3.74, I rate it 4.5.

Thanks as always for stopping by my little corner of the web.  Blog ya later, alligator!