Raising Men: From Fathers to Sons: Life Lessons from Navy SEAL Training

This is the first review I have ever written. Normally I am the one who reads others reviews but never leaves one myself. This time I feel compelled to give my opinion because I am not a father or a male. I am female, newly married and trying to have kids. I know this book is entitled Raising Men and is geared towards fathers but I read it anyways. I am giving it 5 stars because it doesn’t just to speak to men or how to raise sons . It is easy to apply most of what Eric says to raising daughters and/or being a great mother. Eric lays down a foundation on how to be a responsible parent and have a positive presence in your child’s life. He really puts emphasis on the fact that you, the adult, have to lead a good life first. You need to figure out what that is and start implementing it in your daily life. He uses the phrase “lead from the front” and really emphasizes the importance of being a responsible adult/parent and how to be present and engaged in your child’s life. He does this by sharing with you some of his own personal experiences and also adds in personal stories told by other highly respected special forces operators. One of the things I like most is at the end of each chapter. Eric asks you, the reader, questions about the content and principles discussed in that chapter. He gets your mind thinking about what you are or not doing as a parent and how you think you can improve on that. I find this technique very helpful because it makes it personal. He is engaging you to contemplate your own actions and how they affect the people you love. I found the book to be very inspiring. Eric has motivated me to become the best version of myself now before I have kids and gave me some tools to be the best parent in the future.

I loved this book! You don't have to be a Navy Seal to learn how to add value to parenting as well as discerning what's important to know as a young man to create a better life! THE REASON I bought this book was to find ideas to share with a 19-year old young man in my community. As a 78-year old female, while Women's Lib had to happen, for decades now our culture has done nothing to honor good men or to model the traits of good men from a male perspective. While we may be producing all these super-successful females as most of them are heterosexual there will be no matches for them when it comes down to marrying and raising a family. So I'm on the hunt for books written by men FOR boys and men as to what constitutes a good life from a male perspective. Now that I've read RAISING MEN I plan to pass it on to a young man in my community. I believe he will find the Navy Seal stories interesting while picking up pointers as to what's important to know in order to get ahead in life -- I think he'll find it helpful. AND I was touched as to the many ways this father (Eric Davis) shows both his sons and daughters that he absolutely has their backs and that he loves them dearly. This book exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend it.

Eric seems to want the best for all dads and their sons. It’s evident in how he took the time to write this book. I’m a father of 3 boys myself and this book helped reassure me on the way I’m raising my boys. I’m a soft dad I always like to be their friend. This book kind of communicates coaching your children through something rather than doing it for them to have them developed themselves. I plan on learning about camping and camping lunches, I believe my oldest would love that. I don’t have any outdoors knowledge but I refuse to deprive the boys. Great book thank you for sharing your stories and experiences!

This is a good, straight forward read but it hardly has to do with raising boys alone. The writer has three daughters as well and most of his stories talk about all of his children. Nothing in it is specifically for boys. I also disagree with his take on coaches in his kids' lives. These are volunteer dads that work full time jobs and step up to volunteer on their free time. They aren't trained professionals and none of the stories sounded like coaches should have been confronted or reported to the league. I loved the stories of his SEAL days and could see how there are similarities to parenting. From an entertainment standpoint, I would recommend this book.

Amazing. This is not only good for dads, but the moms too. My wife and I both read this and it changed everything. My wife got so annoyed of me sending her screenshots of pages that she finally agreed to read it. I was raised as a Navy brat by a strict father who spent all my life on Team V. I was treated like family to every guy on the team which speaks to the brotherhood Eric talks about. I thought I was going to read this book as if my dad wrote it, since I figured all SEALs were the same. Nope. One similarity is the part when Eric smashes his sons skateboard and PS3 for refusing to do HW. My father did something similar. But instead, used a chop saw on the skateboard, which was my buddies and not mine (he didn’t know that). I have three sons and have tried taking the good my dad did with me and my brother to apply it to my parenting skills. My father rarely showed love though and NEVER admitted he was wrong. Eric hits every single topic one can hit for raising a man. A real man. Not today’s man where life is rainbows and lolly pops. This book speaks to all fathers and challenges them to give their sons what we have AND more. I get anxiety in today’s world that my sons will have all types of issues. But if all things in this book are applied, you as a father can say “I did everything to prepare my boy(s)”. From reading “the warrior kid” books to my boys to reading this for myself, I feel this book has sealed all material needed to be a great father. Thank you Eric, and thank you for serving the greatest country on earth. David Chandler

What breath of fresh air, not only did the author relate to his readers he did it in such a great way! As a young father I can use any help I can get. This book op my eyes to a lot of perspectives that I have been overlooking. What a great read and I recommend young fathers to read it!

I really enjoyed reading this book -- which is going to make writing a review very difficult. "To-do" or "self-help" books are NOT suppose to be page- turning enjoyable . From the Introduction on you are sucked into the stories, humor, and experiences of this father. Not everyone can be a Navy Seal , but here is a guide to being a Seal father. The author gives plenty of ideas and ways of teaching and connecting with your children that are invaluable and fun! There are a few " don't try this at home" moments but you will recognize them-- plus he gives you alternatives. The important factor is being present in your child's life, guiding and preparing them for life beyond you. It is a big world and negotiations are tricky , preparation is key. Read , follow and enjoy every moment of this book and being a father.

Really fantastic approach to parenting. I have children of varying ages, some of which I am their stepfather. My parenting is a challenging situation because I am not the only influence. Eric’s advice on how to adapt to any situation is priceless. Thank you sir! Hooyah!