Raising Cain

A few people saw that I was reading Raising Cain and asked for my review. I am sorry it has taken sooooo long but the book wasn't really a fun one to read and I got distracted easily. I also read about 4 other quick reads while trying to make my way through this one.
I don't have a whole lot to say about the book. It was disturbing on one hand and confirming on the other. I didn't like reading about the awful things boys do to each other. Or that teachers or we as parents do to injure our boys, without even realizing it. But at the same time what I read confirmed to me the importance of teaching all my children, not just the boys, that they are Children of God and what that means. To give them a strong sense of who they are and what they are capable of so that they don't worry about what others may say to them.

It also strengthened a few of my reasons to keep my children at home and not send them to public school. I love that I am able to taylor their education according to what they are interested in and capable of, rather then try to keep up with others standards or hold them back so that others can catch up.

There is a chapter in the book that was devoted to boys and their relationships with their mothers. This to me was the most important chapter. It talked about how mothers sort of hold back in showing affection with their boys as they get older. It was good to be reminded to make sure to give my kids the hugs and attention that they need. They need to feel loved especially during those years of change from boyhood to young man.

The book is worth reading but at the same time I can't say I learned anything I didn't already know. It was more a book of reminders and things to pay attention to. I think it was a PBS special at some point. Maybe that would be worth seeing.

I would never have picked this book up if it hadn't been chosen for this months book club discussion. So thanks Alison for picking it. I look forward to the discussion tomorrow.