I've said many times here that we were fortunate to have six children and as they were

growing independent in their old, let's say mid-teens to late teen years. They needed me less and

less and wanted my input less and less and I had to kind of step back and say,

well, I wouldn't do it that way but okay and it's a hard thing especially with

boys because sometimes there are choices that boys make oh you're to take a one-way trip to Portland with no

plan for when you get there or oh you're taking a you're going to hitchhike

for three months. I wouldn't do that, but, you know, seeing that independence, though, is really part of God's design.

And that process just needs time and maybe some coaching.

I'm John Fuller Fuller along with my focus

colleague Dr Danny Huerta who is leading our parenting and youth department here

at Focus. We're going to hear what it's like for a mom to raise a son. We have a great guest,

Rhonda Stoppy, and she spoke with Jim Daly and me about what it was like to walk

through various seasons with her son. Let me ask you with Brandon the first time you held him as a mother and here's your

little boy you just give birth to Brandon what's that like?

Scary I had a daughter first and you know it's like I get it I get her why was that scary or

intimidating because you're raising a man and I think that's where this title mom's

raising sons to be men comes from because we get so caught up in the moments of every day just survival

we forget that God has called us to this incredible ministry of motherhood to raise a man.

And I never thought of that.

Is it more comfortable, do you think, generally, for a mom to raise a daughter?

I don't know that it's comfortable because there's that whole, we're so similar

kind of thing going on. But I think we get each other.

...