Review ~ Manhood Journey Father's Starter Kit

I have been thinking about ways to help my son through his teen years. There are so many challenges to pass through during the teen years and having a good relationship with your father and strong faith help greatly. I was offered for review Manhood Journey Father's Kit from Manhood Journey & City on a Hill Studio. This product can be used in two ways. It can be used in a small group of fathers and sons or by an individual father and son. We decided to use it only within our family because our son is special needs and currently dealing with depression. This program seemed like a good fit for the two of them to work on one-on-one. I think it would have been nicer for our son if he were in a healthier place.  The kit contains ~ 

• Group discussion guide 
• One-on-one discussion guide
• DVD for all six modules
• 10 map brochures (so the program can be used for up to 10 boys)
• Wise Guys -- book that helps young men find the support they need as they grow up

Each lesson is set up with a word to dad, review of the last lesson, verses to memorize, an activity and lots of discussion. My husband found that guided discussion useful. Each lesson has a script that he was able to follow. He liked that there were many real life topics to discuss, such as what to do if a friend wants to look at your test or play a game of Truth and Dare without restrictions. He also liked that the activities required almost no set up. My husband found the DVD useful and watched it before the lessons.

My son (14) really did not take to this program. He struggles with memorization. The memorization part of each lesson was really impossible for him. He also didn't think that the discussion was very worthwhile. He has many special needs and, because of that, we previously have had most, if not all, of the discussions this program encourages many times. We have had to go out of our way to help him manage the world because his own executive functioning skills are delayed. He thought the activities were boring.

I did start reading the Wise Guys book and thought it was a useful addition to our studies. Our son struggles with making friends and mostly keeps to himself. However, we are working hard to broaden his support base. This book gives us (the parents) lots to think about.

This program really wasn't a good fit for our family. However, if you are looking for a Biblical program to help your son in his journey to adulthood, this could be a good fit. I think it would work better in a group setting with a bunch of happy young tweens and teens. There is a group discussion guide for just such a group.

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Blessings, Dawn