Bringing Up Boys

Rating:
Summary: How to bring up boys who can't think clearly
Review: Like his earlier book The New Dare to Discipline', this book forcefully outlines the Fundamentalist Christian program for a strict patriarchial family where boys are taught to obey via corporal punishment. The advice of the book is aimed at producing obedient rather than critically questioning people. One can say that we have here Dobson as conservative antidote to Dr. Spock. Now for the downside of Dobson's ideology.

I've lived and lectured extensively in Europe, have visited and lectured in Asia, Central and South America, and have realized that too many Americans suffer from an abysmal ignorance of the rest of the world. In contrast with the Christian fundamentalist patriarchial program (shared, by the way, by Islamic Fundamentalists as well), consider Scandinavia. Scandinavia has the lowest crime rate in the world. There, a parent can go to jail for hitting a child. Words and behavioral example, not beating, produce good people and a good society. Most of the women are feminists and are fantastic mothers, fantastic women. The entire culture is democratic, freedom-loving, basically nonreligious, not very Christian (there is high awareness of the older ways). Unwed mothers and their kids are normal members of the community (unwed fathers automatically pay heavily financially to support their children). The region is socialistic in the sense that no one lives in poverty, everyone has healthcare. People own guns (hunting is popular) but murder is rare. My main point is that teaching kids to be peaceful and nonviolent produces a society like Scandinavia where the crime rate is low, whereas hitting kids has produced the present American society with one of the highest crime rates in the world. As an aside, dobson can't tolerate independent people like feminists. For dobson, women have only one role: to serve the male head of the family.

Dobson's advice aims to produce obedient boys who tow the line and will die for a waring leader whether the leader and the war are right or wrong. Fundamentalist ideology, Islamic, Jewish, and Christian, is producing war in the world, and Dobson's book encourages the obedience required for making war. Dobson hopes to produce rightwing ideologues like himself who hate taxes and social programs. His writings implicitly propagate the Calvinist doctrine (predestination) that the rich are favored by God, otherwise they wouldn't be successful, and the poor are not, otherwise they wouldn't be poor. In other words, Dobson systematically teaches rightwing ideology. For a description of the prevailing American conservative ideology and its origin in the assumption of a strict patriarchy, an extremist interpretation of family values, see George Lakoff's 'Moral Politics'.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I thought it was.
Review: Someone bought me this book because I have a son. I figured it was a parenting book about raising boys. It's really a hate book. It's all about how to raise your son so he doesn't turn out [...]. It's filled with bigotry. I was really disgusted.

Rating:
Summary: Warmly Recommended
Review: The review in the Library Journal above is so biased that it is both unhelpful and misleading. It manages to use all the boogy words--"right wing" "conservative" "Christian." When are liberal books described as "left wing" "liberal" or "atheistic"? If a person reads Dobson's book sympathetically, they will find a wealth of humble and compassionate advice for people who want to raise their boys well. As a father of three sons, I warmly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for parents with boys
Review: My husband asked me to order this book because he heard that it was an excellent one for parents of boys. We both read it and loved it. Finally someone is willing to say what is going on with males in our society. It is heartbreaking to think of all our boys have to deal with in this world, but Dr. Dobson offers sound advice based on his belief in Christ. If you aren't a Christian, don't read this book - find another resource because he relies heavily on the teachings of the Bible and you probably won't like it.

I know the liberals of this world want to believe that our society is much better off than generations past, but anyone who has eyes can see that it's not. We need to get back to the values that built this great country and Dr. Dobson shows you how you can do that with your sons. Sound advice and valuable reading.