Does your son play a musical instrument? Maybe the piano, trumpet, or violin?

The process of learning how to play an instrument is a lot like parenting. It requires patience, persistence, and a passion to improve.

During the parenting process, mistakes will inevitably happen. Improper technique may cause squeaky notes. Your instruction may fall flat or be off key. And despite your best efforts, your guidance may not be properly choreographed.

When this happens, don’t get discouraged. Through consistent effort, prayer, and love, you’ll make progress.

By tuning your heart to the rhythm of your son’s personality, you’ll experience the melody of fellowship. And when you and your son are in sync, harmony within the home will crescendo into his growth as a godly young man.

For more encouragement and parenting advice, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

You’re a parent inside the walls of your home. But what about outside those walls?

Of course, your primary obligation is to parent your own son. But, for better or worse, your son’s friends and peers can have a greater impact on him than you do. So how can you positively influence the whole group?

It’s as simple as being involved in your community. Volunteer at church to teach Sunday School. Coach your son’s soccer team. Join a big brother/big sister program. Or you could even volunteer to be a Trail Life USA leader.

You don’t have to be perfect to positively influence the next generation of men. You just have to show up and show love not only in your home, but outside of it.

For more ideas on raising boys to be godly men, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Did you know that Michael Jordan, considered by many to be the greatest basketball player ever, missed 12,345 field goals in his Hall of Fame career?

He said, “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Wayne Gretzky, the NHL’s all-time leading scorer, put it this way: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

In today’s culture, risk and competition are often removed from boys’ environments. They lose interest when there isn’t anything at stake. So, they think, “Why should I try?”

As parents and mentors trying to raise godly boys, we need to provide challenging opportunities that let boys fail, recover, and eventually succeed.

For more encouragement and parenting advice, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Colton, a toddler, was riding his toy car when he ran into a stick. His mom watched from behind as Colton got more and more frustrated, but he was stuck.

“Hm,” his mom said,“Is there anything you can do to move the stick?” Colton thought for a minute, then climbed off his car. He beamed with pride when he moved the stick and sailed past it.

When our sons face obstacles in life, it’s tempting to swoop in and remove whatever is in the way. But if we constantly do that, we are failing our boys. By letting them problem solve in age-appropriate ways, we can not only develop their critical thinking skills, but also greatly improve their confidence. So go ahead– encourage your son to move the stick himself.

For more ideas on raising boys to be godly men, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

This Memorial Day, as we honor those who have paid the highest price for our freedom, be sure your son understands the true meaning of “honor.”

No one embodies true honor like the men and women, both active and retired, in our nation’s military. Your son can learn this by engaging with veterans.  He can march in a parade, clean a monument, or work with the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

This he can do as a memorial to those who have given their lives in service. A high embodiment of value.  Discuss what it means to be a man who serves God and his country. As we say in our Trail Life USA oath, it’s a man who “respects authority, is a good steward of creation, and treats others how [he] wants to be treated.”

When boys see honorable examples of masculinity, they grow to become honorable men.

For more ideas on raising boys to be godly men, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Here’s a controversial yet obvious truth– men and women are different!

A quick look at brain science supports this fact. The connections between neurons in the male brain are more condensed than in a female brain. That’s why men tend to focus on the bigger picture while women focus on details. Men use more grey brain matter, which makes them task oriented, while women use more white matter, which contributes to being more language oriented.

In this society that often tries to pit women against men, and calls masculinity “toxic,” it’s crucial that our sons understand that there’s a reason for these differences. Make sure your son has a positive father-figure in his life to help him understand what healthy manhood looks like.

For more ideas on raising boys to be godly men, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

When your son is upset, “How are you feeling?” might not be the right question.

Boys are simply not wired to connect words with feelings. While the female brain has verbal centers in both the left and right hemispheres– allowing girls to use words to process feelings— males only have verbal centers on the left side of their brain.

This is why boys tend to not “talk it out” when they are upset, but instead turn to an unrelated activity, like video games or sports, to process big emotions.

So the next time your son is angry or frustrated, engage him in physical activity, like walking the dog or kicking a soccer ball around the yard. You can be confident he’ll return feeling much calmer.

For more ideas on raising boys to be godly men, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Ever wake to the sound of a chainsaw ripping through wood?

It’s a powerful tool. But it can be dangerous. Like a chainsaw, the internet is a powerful tool, but it’s also dangerous if not used properly.

There’s a wealth of information available to us on the web. However, surfing the internet can become an addictive tidal wave.

Do you start and end your day online? Are you constantly checking your emails and texts and feeling the need to respond immediately?

If so, it might be time to try something radical and life-changing.

Unplug. Consider an internet fast. Go online only for work purposes for the next five days. Tell friends to call instead of emailing or texting. Stay off social media.

Devote the time you would normally spend online to Bible study and prayer. You’ll be shocked at how many of your online activities are unnecessary.

For more encouragement and parenting advice, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

The trials of life are like trails.

They will either lead you closer to God or further away from him.
You can’t choose if you’ll go through a trial, but you can choose how you will react to one.

Being a Christian doesn’t make you immune to trials, but you can take comfort during a trial knowing that you are never alone.

Repeatedly in his word God tells us that he will never leave us or forsake us.

Boys are watching their father figures and mentors to see how they’ll react to a trial — if their walk matches their talk.

Let’s trust God no matter our circumstances. He is faithful!

For more information about a Proven Process that is helping boys grow into godly men, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Did you know that a person can survive for about three days without water?

Health experts commonly recommend drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily.

While water is essential for life, Jesus speaks of a different kind of “living water” in John 4.

While talking with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, he says, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

A glass of cold water will quench your physical thirst, but only following Jesus will quench your spiritual thirst.

For more encouragement and parenting advice, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.