Masculine Reading

Months and months ago, Brad read Wild at Heart by John Eldredge, and it quite literally changed his life. He talked with me about it the entire time he was reading. This book genuinely helped him resolve some of the things that he was struggling with in his life. It also helped form his opinions on parenting approaches. He had suggested that I read it the minute he closed the back cover. I knew that the book would enlighten my understanding of my husband, as well as other men in my life, present and future. But, as a general rule, I am not a giant fan of nonfiction. Actually, I really don't like it at all. So, naturally, I put it off for a long time. Finally, after I had exhausted the Twilight series for the second time, I decided it was about time to pick up Wild at Heart.

I'm not going to pretend like it was a page turner for me the same way it was for my husband, but it really was great. Granted, it took me about three months to finish a tiny book, where I can usually crack out a Potter novel in a weekend. Some of it was hard to push through simply because it did not apply to me at all. But, after all, it is a book about "discovering the secret to a man's soul" not a woman's. However, it was really interesting, and it definitely altered my perspective on masculinity. It was kind of tough for me, though, because a man's masculinity depends so greatly on his father's influence. But, I know that I can provide a lot of support through my simple lack of squelching the "boy" out of our future son(s). It also helps me understand how to better support Brad and encourage his manhood. Little things... Like try to tell him how strong he is rather than cute. Challenge him to do certain things that I know he can do to "prove he's a man," and "allow" him to do other manly things like fish and hike and camp and just watch sports with the guys without me trying to make him feel guilty for not spending time cuddling with me or helping with the laundry. Now, let's see if I can put that into practice. Easier said than done. Overall, even though it took some discipline to finish, I'm extremely glad that I read it.