For Young Men Only!

I always believe in putting the bottom line up front in the military we would tell out soldiers “BLUF”.

So here goes: I am giving a copy of this book to my son (that simple). The book was short and easy read that I read on my flight from DC to Atlanta and for men, a short read is essential to make sure they get to the end. I will be using the book to drive discussion with my 5th grader over the coming months.

FYMO by authors Jeff Feldhahn & Eric Rice with Shaunti Feldhahn. When I saw the quote on the cover by Jeff Foxworthy, I was thinking, “Foxworthy? Really? What does he know or care about relative to this subject? Isn’t he just another comedian?”. The irony was that when I landed in Atlanta, Jeff was there at the conference to discuss some tough topics and help with a charity event and I had the opportunity to see his heart for helping young people all over the world.

FYMO was a great way to quickly earn a Masters Degree in ‘Girl’. Being clueless doesn’t look good on a man and when you are a young man navigating the minefield of the teen years it is even more important to get clued in. The stories and surveys shared from young women will give any young man a new perspective on what young women are looking for, what they are not, and how to win them over.

There is some great practical advice like: 5 smart moves a guy can make to get the girl. And there are some clear steps given to breaking the code about women (let’s be honest…I have been married for over 11 years and still not accomplished that).

The authors (and their wives) do a great job in gathering important information from young women and dealing with tough issues for men regarding: social networks, facebook, myspace, dating, sex, being one of the bad boys vs. a good guy, and more. My favorite quote in the book was, “Honesty is where superficiality stops and real friendship begins.”
At the end of the book there is also a short guide that will help you engage and drive discussion with your teen (or pre-teen / young man) who is starting to figure out there is in fact an opposite sex and that they don’t all have cooties.

Drawing on a fresh national survey of 600 teen girls, as well as hundreds of personal interviews, For Young Men Only reveals the real truth about what teenage girls think, what they want, and how average teen guys can build healthy friendships with high quality girls. I do recommend picking up a copy and sharing it with your son. Heck, I was even reminded of some practical things I need to do a better job of relative to my wife.