It's a Boy!: Your Son's Development from Birth to Age 18

by Michael G. Thompson, Teresa Barker, Teresa H. Barker

Book Overview

It's a Boy provides expert advice on the developmental, psychological, social, emotional, and academic life of boys from infancy through the teen years. Exploring the many ways in which boys strive for masculinity and attempt to define themselves, psychologist Michael Thompson, Ph.D., a leading international expert on boys' development, and journalist Teresa H. Barker identify the key developmental transitions that mark a boy's psychological growth...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345493966
• ISBN13: 9780345493965
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Read it !!

FANTASTIC book. Seriously. If you have a son, or know any boys at all, read this book. It is enormously enlightening, --and I thought I knew boys very, very well before reading this! Dr. Thompson is the Voice of Reason for any of us trying to raise boys. He is incredibly knowledgeable, yet modest, and witty, and organized. That is exactly what comes through in the book. This book covers just about any situation you can find yourself in, when dealing with a boy. Read it!! GREAT advice, comfort, encouragement, and company!

sigh of relief...

A quick review to state how this book has helped my mind. We have an almost 3 year old boy. He's been called busy, wild, spirited ... I call him my little firecracker! You get the idea. He is nonstop. Reading through the age related pages has really put my self at ease. Certain sentences run through my mind now while we live our days! I now have "reasons" for his actions and behaviors -it makes sense now. Well, more sense anyway! I feel that i am more patient and tolerant. Both of us, mom and dad, have read through his age pages and have found it very reassuring. We will definitely have this book on hand for the next 15 years! I really recommend this book to parents and caregivers of boys ... it can shed some light for sure!

Eye Opening!!!

I have 3 kids, almost 4 yd girl, 2 and 1/2 yd boy and 1 yd boy. Like most of women, it's easy to understand girl's point of view for me. My daughter is a typical drama queen/very pink/very princessie girl. My son #1 is a fun little guy. He loves to tease his sister, of course and us (parents), to experiment whatever he can think of, and is very physically active. Son #2 is learning from his brother A LOT. I've heard that boys and girls are different and I do agree with it, but I just didn't know how their brains work. This book opened my eyes to see their perspectives. I'm just so glad that there is somebody who loves boys and cherishes their nature so well that mom like me can learn and get to know about my own sons more. What we know about our sons and information from the book definitely supports to get to know them better. My concerns has been lighter!

Great info. for understanding your boys!

I have a 3 yr. old and a 1yr. old boy and I wanted to get this book in order to gain a little insight into how a boy's mind works. So far I really enjoy this book. It has given me the insight I needed to help understand why my boys behave the way they do. I also like how the book is organized by ages. It is almost like a handy reference. You can skip around to the chapters that deal with your child's age, and then go back or ahead to gain more insight into what is to come. I think this is a must read for any parent who has a boy. I also feel that every teacher should read this book to help understand how to best meet the needs of the boys in their classes.

Offers great deal of insight into minds of boys

"It's a Boy: Understanding Your Son's Development From Birth to Age 18" by Michael Thompson, Ph.D. is one of the best parenting books I've seen as far as being dedicated to understanding what is going on in a boy's brain. As a mother of two boys, I admit that sometimes I am completely befuddled by their behavior. I have (obviously) never been a little boy and because of that, I can't necessarily relate to what they are going through. Dr. Thompson describes what is going on in their heads and also helps parents to realize that their son's behavior is normal and what it should be. Dr. Thompson also does a great job of describing why so many boys have so much trouble in school and offers some solutions as to what can be done to fix it. I wish I could photocopy whole chapters of this book to distribute to my sons' teachers. Teachers, most of whom are women, especially if they have never had any sons of their own, often just don't get little boy behavior. This book would help so much in their understanding.