An informative read, made completely enjoyable by the authors' humor, candor, and the Southerner's gift for turning a phrase. Having hosted the Young family, including their 4 youngest sons and 2 daughters, I can attest to the fact that their children are as polite, well-spoken, and boisterous as this book claims. My 5 year-old son has never enjoyed overnight guests more!
I appreciate all the wisdom and experience they've packed into the chapters, but I would spread it more equally across both genders. Plenty of girls (my younger self included) would also benefit from their advice on raising children who thrive on competition, have energy to burn, and need to be raised to be a strong advocate for their own beliefs sooner than our culture generally assumes. On the other hand, it's refreshing to read a parenting book that addresses the differences in the sexes that do generally hold true. For example, they specifically address the male brain's ability to completely focus on a task at hand...no matter what mom's saying 2 feet away. Their statement that this is simply a trait of the boy's brain (as well as his father's!), not a deliberate act of disobedience or sin, and the need to treat the behavior with grace accordingly, was a palm-to-forehead moment for me.
As a pacifist, I was especially appreciative of their nod to my convictions following the discussion of boys and weapons, as well as a later chapter's honest discussion of military life and the challenges it may present any Christian.