Customer Reviews

Teenage Boys: Surviving and Enjoying These Extraordinary Years

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The sons of Bill Beausay, author of Teenage Boys, are lucky to have Bill as their father. With wit, compassion, concern, and wisdom, the author gives us advice and sample scenarios for those of us living with the most difficult, yet potentially delightful of people, teenage boys. I enjoyed the book immensely.

Bill wants us all to remember the power we have to affect our sons. He provides sample dialogues with which to work through problem areas. With sections entitled A Parenting Plan for Man-Making, Shaping the Inner Man at Home, Shaping a Man Ready for Life, and Shaping a Man's Soul, Bill Beausay is concerned with the big questions in life. He wants the absolute best for his sons and describes many of his own experiences raising teenage boys.

In the final chapter " Dreamers and Leaders", the author reprints a letter he published in his newspaper column "Winners". The letter is to the parents of a young man Bill observes in the checkout line of a store.

" I saw your son today and felt compelled to write you this letter. I wouldn't have even noticed him had not my eyes accidentally caught his. Something seemed vacant there. Nothing about him really spoke of life, of energy, or of distinction. I was overcome by the sense that you, as his folks, should see this moment.

... there's not a reason in the world for him to blend in like he does, everything about him is unique and alive and wonderful. I'm certain that unless you tell him, nobody will.

You can teach him to dream bigger, hope larger, see wider, think more... Ask him to stand erect, chance a look into another's eyes, smile and laugh loudly. It's a mom and dad's job to find the spark in a young man's heart and carefully guard it. You can cradle his hopes and help them come to be..."

I bought a copy for a good friend with hopes that it will help him with his 14 year-old son. He's delighted with the book. I wish Teenage Boys had been around in the 50's for my Dad to read.

This book gives you a bright and new outlook on dealing with your Son. Mr. Beausay's methods are compationate and yet very effective. The secret is to use it like a refrence book. Read it over and over again always going back when you need to review. You will find a new perspective every time. Very interesting reading with the Bible as a large source of it's wisdom.

I picked this book up at a bookstore, and after flipping through it, found it interesting enough to buy. I checked the author info for his creds: hmmm, clinical psychotherapist, best-selling author, seminar producer. Okay, sounds good. So I was really disappointed to get into the book and find so many references to Scripture and the Christian faith. I wish the religious slant had been mentioned on the book jacket so those of us who do not share the author's beliefs would be able to make a better decision. No offense to the guy, you know, good for him being a Christian. But if I wanted to be preached at I'd go to church.

Having said that, I did my best to read around the Bible references, and found some good insights and ideas. I'm still kinda miffed about the whole thing, though. Miffed enough to write my first review on Amazon.

Thank you Bill Beausay for writing such a lovely script into the hearts and minds of boys. I was reaching out every way I possibly could for help with my 16 yr old son, and was getting nowhere. I prayed for help and the next day I found this book, Teenage Boys! As a single mom I rarely understand what my teenage son is going through, as I have never been a boy myself! Bill helped me see the fascinating side to my teenage son,he helped me find some grace in the knowledge that all the quirky behavior,and borderline disrespect is actually very normal. Not only is this book helpeng me to identify my son's behaviors, it is also helping me reclaim my own sanity. The only thing I wish is that I would have prayed for it sooner, its so wonderful to have my son back! Within a week of reading and understanding, the results were amazing. I recommend this for any parent who thinks their son "has lost his mind!!", "doesn't listen, is selfish, talks back,etc etc".

In constant turmoil because I didn't "get" this now man-boy in my home who I've nurtured and cared for for thirteen years, I was looking for some help. Beausay is the father of two teenage boys (and a younger daughter), a clinical psychotherapist, and a help to Olympic-caliber athletes through the Academy of Sports Psychology. He writes through a biblical worldview but with real WISDOM, not just knowledge--so this book is very different from so much of the "Christian-ese" help books available. He begins the book educating me and being an instrument of change in my attitude and understanding of teenage boys. And he continues with practical help and counsel that, since applying, have transformed everything from communication to consequences within our home. Uncertainty, mystery and trouble still come but we are better armed as parents to love, inspire and counsel this wonderful son we've been given. Thanks Mr. Beausay!

This book has been so good to boost my confidence in the challenge of parenting. It has helped me understand about my teenager and give me advice on how to handle situations that I didn't know what to do. It's become my handbook and I will continue to pick it for years to come.

With three sons and one of them deeply mired in his teens I am always looking for any info on how to be a better dad.

I'm not sure how I stumbled on this book and decided to own it (I suspect my sister) but I found it to be greatly disappointing once it arrived. What grated on me more than the very bland and non-specific advice was the overt religious sales job on nearly every page.

I read as much of the book as I could take and then threw it away. Even without the church propganda I found scant actual info or advice in this book.

This book started changing my view in the first 10 pages. Helped relieve some of the stress of having a teenage boy, just by helping me understand what he is going through. Highly recommend this book!

I picked up Bill Beausay's book for advice about my teenage son. When I came upon a pagargraph on page 124 that I found extremely offensive, I could read no further: "Growing up is all about learning autonomy -- and that means a lot of messes. Even God had to suffer through it with His children, the Jews (and He was the perfect parent)."