FINDING A MENTOR
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY From TODAY, Voices Wednesday, 04-February-2009 By Dr James Dobson One of the best contributions a single mother can make for a young son is to find him a mentor. In her book, Mothers and Sons, Mrs Jean Lush talks about the challenges all mothers face in raising sons. The ages of 4 to 6 are especially important and difficult. The boy still loves his mother, but he feels the need to separate from her and gravitate toward a male image. If he has a father at home, he’ll want to spend more time with his dad apart from his mother and sisters. But what if the mother is raising her son alone? It’s difficult for any parent to admit to limitations, but a mother can’t expect to meet all of her son’s needs at this time of his life. Her best option is to recruit a man who can act as a mentor to her son, spending time with him and providing a role model of mature masculinity. Of course, mentors can ...