Every boy mom, stepmom, and honestly grandmother needs to read this book. One of the most comprehensive books I’ve seen in a long time on how to raise strong, healthy- both mentally and physically- young men. The book includes refreshing honesty. Although, she utilizes her Christian faith as a spring board and discusses ways to incorporate faith in daily living; this book provides guidance for all moms. I love the importance on seeing a pediatrician through adolescence.  So many do not realize how important that truly is. Teens need ongoing medical care. If they feel comfortable with a provider as a young man, they will be more likely to seek care if warranted. Mrs. Swanson covers technology, pornography, and how men should to treat women. She stresses the importance of being an example of the qualities we ask of our children. 

“If your heart’s desire is for your son to have an authentic relationship with God, then I encourage you to begin with your own. Nothing confuses kids more than when their parents tell them one thing and live another. Kids need real parents living out a real faith. Not a perfect faith (none of us have that) but an authentic one. My husband and I have made it our goal to live such a genuine faith that our boys will look at us and say, “I want that!”

Such a truth bomb book that had me calling out "Yes sister!"  Monica makes you feel like she is right there in the trenches and is speaking directly to you!  Such good wisdom on how to raise my son through all the curveball life throws at me.

Practical & applicable advice for anyone who has a hand in raising boys!  As a mother of 3 boys, I have to admit there were ‘seasons’ when intentionality wained.  This book offers a realistic perspective of not just ‘parenting’, but building a solid relationship foundation.

This is a great resource for moms of boys.  Monica shares personal stories from her own life as well as pointing to Biblical truths of how to raise your children.  At the end of each chapter she has questions for practical application.  If you need direction or encouragement in raising your boys in a world that tries to undermind them, you need to read this book!

*I received an advanced copy from the publisher. My opinions are my own.*

This is a very good book with lots of good points for parents of small boys and teenagers. .It was an enjoyable read and I recommend this book to everyone that has a little boy in their life. Thank you WaterBrook & Multnomah via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love the insight that this mom gives. There are a lot of aspects in a boys life that you can’t anticipate. A great resource for mothers everywhere! This is not a theological book, but more a guide for day to day life with a boy under the same roof.

July 24, 2019
BOY MOM - Monica Swanson

I received this free book for the purpose of review from Net Galley. 

Monica Swanson is an outstanding author and I totally enjoyed this helpful book dedicated to BOY MOM.  As a mother of four boys and nine grandsons I totally related to her book and the many things she did to shine the light for mothers of boys.

Mom, she does point out that the best thing you will do for your boy is to first have a relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior, spend valuable quiet time with God daily and love Dad.  She is not perfect and does an excellent job of not expecting excellence out of you.

First, I must say her most important subject she points out is the value of leaving a legacy for boys and how mom has a large influence on her sons.  While we think Dad is the primary example for a boy and he is, Mom sets the stage for her boy in the very early years.  It is Mom who shows nurturing, compassion and kindness.  She models for her boys words to express feelings and gives him the freedom to express his feelings. 

Be strong Mom, read, study your boy, pray for your boy, love his dad and never never give up.  Many times you will not know the impact on your son until he is older.  It is never to early to start and never to late to correct course.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.    Thank you NetGalley!


As a mom to a five year old boy, this book definitely suited me.    I'd say every boy mom should check this book out.

As a mother of three boys I have been encouraged by Monica Swanson’s straightforward, genuine, grace-filled perspective on parenting. Raising boys requires a delicate balance of gentle motherly love, strength, and discipline. Boy Mom offers tools for raising confident, wise, gentleman who can function successfully in the world.
Monica’s guidebook is based on her own experiences with her four boys who’s ages range from college down to elementary school. She balances real-life examples with research and practical application that is useful to mothers in each stage of life. The book highlights what sons need most and ways to navigate those areas. It’s a perfect guide for evaluating your own parenting style, priorities, and opportunities as you build a solid relationship with your son and prepare him to launch into adulthood.

I love all the practical advice Monica share in such a humble, relatable way. She had great wisdom & insight from her years of being a boy mom of 4 boys. She also includes wonderful printables, links, and other helpful resources for each topic she covers. What a great book for anyone parenting boys!

After following Monica on social media for a long time I was so excited to find out about this book. I was even more excited to get ahold of an ebook ARC through #netgalley and be a part of spreading the word on this book.

Monica is heart felt and honest; giving a transparent account of her years parenting young boys and how she wanted to raise them. 

This book lays it out in an amazing resource. It's not just a how to but a peak into what she does in her own home and I love that she offers lists, ideas, prompts for conversation with our sons, and even questions for me as I read. My boys are 10 and 4 and I wish I had this book before they were born but now it even offers me assistance and guidance into how I can implement this starting today. It takes into account differences in personalities and gets down to the nitty gritty of what issues will come up that MUST be addressed. 

Lastly and the reason this book will stay in my library until I'm a grandma and long after - is that it is Christ centered.

Monica is a blessing to those moms floundering and wondering; am I doing this right??? She offers this stepping stone and support and I give this book 5 stars without a look back... She left nothing out! Be blessed and buy this book!

This is an absolute must for any mom raising a son or sons. It is packed with wonderful information. These ideas have true meaning behind them. She is a gifted and talented writer. 

I have applied some of Monica Swanson’s ideas and to my amazement they worked on my son. I am so excited to try more. 

A great book for any mom but especially a  Boy Mom!

Upbeat, practical encouragement for intentional parenting. 

Swanson has four boys, one just off to college down to one in elementary school. My son is a middle schooler and I appreciate being able to glean from a mom who has gone before me.

Boy Mom has quickly become one of my favorite books. Monica Swanson shares insights and encouragement for being a better mother to our sons. What I love most is that she does not shy away from talking about delicate topics, but she approaches them with a gentle grace and truth. Her book feels like a friendly hug, and a soft nudge. I appreciate her thoughtful questions throughout the book, which helped me to apply information to my own mothering journey. I wish I had this book a few years earlier, but it will be a resource I return to again and again

To be honest I didn’t finish the book. I’m a boy mom but my kids are all under 5 and i felt like the book was for parents with older children. Don’t get me wrong the wisdom that the author shares is extremely helpful. I’ve tried putting some of her advice in to practice with my family. It was hard to identify and apply a lot to my current situation though. I am positive that I will definitely look to this book in the future as my kids grow older. 

I received this book through NetGalley.

Blogger Monica Swanson knew she'd tapped a heartfelt concern when nearly two million readers shared her blog post "What a Teenage Boy Needs Most from His Mom." In Boy Mom, she takes mothers deeper into the insights they need for the boy-raising journey.

Let me begin by saying I find this type of book hard to review. I requested it from NetGalley because I’m a boy mom and was curious about the kind of advice that would be offered. Would I be able to use any of this information? Frankly, I found it a little overwhelming. It made me wonder why I read books like this. They always make me feel terrible about myself. I know it’s not the intention of the author to judge, but I feel judged and walked away with a “I’m a terrible mother” feeling.

I didn’t find all of the advice offered relatable to me. That’s not to say this is a bad book because it’s not. Boy Mom is well written and the chapters well organized. Each chapter features personal stories that share what has worked for the Swanson family. Questions featured at the end of each chapter allow readers to dive in and think deeper about what they’ve just read. While it was not a turn off for me, the scripture references and mentions of the Swanson’s family faith may be a turn off for some. 

Despite what may sound like and feels to me like a negative review, I know some moms out there are going to learn so much. Swanson offers checklists and several links for those who will need the advice offered printed for future reference.

As a mom of a soon to be teenage boy I felt this book was a must read for me. I want to go into the teenage years with tools to help make is most enjoyable for our family. I found lots of inspiration in this book. Boy Mom is full of helpful information in so many topics we deal with during the teenage years of a boys life. I will definitely recommend this to moms going thru this season of life. I was given the opportunity to read the book early for my honest review.

Loved this book. Great practical application and encouragement for moms of boys!! The questions at the end of the chapter are great to help moms walk this journey with boys. I highly recommend this book.  I am thankful
To netgalley for the advanced copy.

A great and encouraging read for those who are raising boys, nephews, cousins, grandsons. Swanson reminds you of the importance of life, and the importance of focusing on raising your precious son in the midst of the crazy busy world.

I absolutely loved reading Boy Mom. This is the first book I have found that addresses the needs of boys from preschool through the teen years. I've found as my son hit the teenage years it was hard to find authors that connected to the stage where I was trying to grow with my son as so many books are focused on the younger years. Monica addresses all life areas from relationships, to work ethic, to character, to technology. What I love the most is that the entire book is girded with the truth of the importance of a relationship with Christ and how that is the foundation of everything and yet she also doesn't force Christianity on her readers and even those that aren't Christians can gain a lot from the book. She's candid in sharing her personal expeiences and you almost feel like you know the Swansons. There are so many pages I bookmarked to go back to and key lessons and tools I am going to apply to raising my teenage son.