Oh Boy!: Mothers Tell the Truth About Raising Teen Sons

Worried your teenage son is the only boy on the block with a room so messy it’s spilling into the hallway? Happened to find your son sneaking out the window in the middle of the night? Ever tried to sit down and “talk” to your teenager, just like the experts say you should, only to get an eye roll and a snide comment from him on his way out the door? If any of this sounds familiar, this book is for you.

In Oh Boy! more than thirty real moms share true stories about how they’ve handled their sons’ adventures and misadventures. The minidramas recounted run the gamut of teen boy behavior, from body odor, prank calls, and bad grades to drinking and sex. The stories, each prefaced with a brief, insightful introduction from mother of two Maryann Bucknum Brinley, prove that—as you may have suspected, but don’t mind hearing again—no mom handles things wonderfully every time. Yet even a seemingly disastrous experience can grow into a fond memory that just might generate laughter in years to come.

Like words from a good friend and stories with happy endings, Oh Boy! will help you sleep better at night and remind you that your son will grow up, one of these days.

“Parenting a boy is a lot like raising an alien. I’m not from Venus, but when he was a teenager, my son might as well have been a Martian. I love having a book like this to help me go where no other writer/mother has dared to go before.” —Linda Lee Small, coauthor, You Know He's a Keeper . . . You Know He's a Loser . . .