I know raising your hard-to-handle (H2H) boys can feel like an insurmountable task…like some great fire-breathing dragon you’re powerless to control on your own.
But there’s good news. You’re not alone!
Little Pilgrim’s Progress is one of my very favorite books. It’s a story of the pilgrimage of a boy named Little Christian, and is a simplified version of the classic, Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan. When I read this excerpt from it to my boys the other day over lunch, I actually started crying because it felt like such an accurate depiction of my life…
“The servants of the Wicked Prince hated this dragon, but none of them were brave enough to resist it. When they heard its roaring, they fled away and tried to hide themselves, so that the savage creature grew more and more bold in its attacks upon them. But the servants of the King made up their minds to destroy it if they could, and when they heard that Greatheart was staying at the house of Mnason, they determined to ask him to go out with them…”
In this chapter there was a great dragon tormenting the people of God. They knew it had to be stopped, but were too scared of the dragon to stand up and fight alone.
Raising H2H boys can feel like fighting a fire-breathing dragon with only a pile of sticks and some lighter fluid. (<<—Tweet That).
I’ve cowered, collapsed, hidden, and shook in terror over the beastly boys in my home. It feels absolutely crazy to me that two humans could cause me such grief, but then that’s part of the problem, right? Their very nature makes me feel out of control, because they are, in fact, harder to control than most boys.
But I’ve learned this: Moms are stronger, and better able to fight when we’re in the battle together.
Everything changed for Little Christian and his friends when they knew Greatheart was there to help them. For the first time, they realized they weren’t alone, and that maybe they had the strength to fight the dragon after all.
You and me? We’re each other’s people. Who knows better about the great dragon we call hard-to-handle boys than we do? Who knows about the blood, sweat, and tears we’ve poured into these boys than us? And who needs encouragement to get in the game and stay the course more than you and me?
That’s why I really don’t want you to miss out on my free video series called Fighting for Those Hard-to-Handle Boys.
H2HBoys will provide you with a simple, but profound perspective shift that can change the entire tone of your home. Click here to learn more about it, and get started today.
I’m with you. You’re not alone. Let’s fight this battle together.
Brooke McGlothlin is co-founder and President of Raising Boys Ministries. She’s a mother of two boys who believes God has chosen her to fight for the hearts of her sons. She can be found most often on her knees in prayer, not because she’s so holy, but because God is. Not because she knows how to raise godly men, but because God knows the plans He has for them.
She’s the author of Praying for Boys: Asking God for the Things They Need Most, and co-author of Hope for the Weary Mom: Let God Meet You in the Mess.
