This week is an exciting week for me as my son is turning 14 years old and he is ending his first phase of my Legacy Dad Process with him. You can also read The Foundation: What We Did From Ages 0-12 Part I, Part II and Part III to get a better background and perspective on what we did to raise our children up until this point.During the past 2 years, my son has been reading a number of specially selected books that tell stories of courage, character and faith as well as teaching valuable life lessons. After each chapter of a book, he would write in a special journal what the chapter was about and his own personal thoughts and reflections on the topic. Also during these past two years, we have had a lot more candid talks on faith, life, manhood as well as a number of outings and special occasions that reinforce the traits he has been learning about.
He played on the football team and learned on and off the field the value of teamwork, loyalty and sacrifice. He started dating his first girlfriends and as we taught him, went to meet each girls father on his own and explained his intentions to each one, man to man. We spent a weekend in an abandoned mining town in the Oregon Mountains and came face to face with a mountain lion as well as spending a week climbing on Mount Rainier while building fires from scratch. There were also numerous impromptu lessons that arose from life's simple quirks and turns and finally he is ready for his first personal test which will take place next weekend. This test is still a secret to him and he will not know what it is until we are driving to it.
Once my son completes this first test, he will be given a special present to signify his passage into the next phase and presented with his first "letter" - a clue that will ultimately unlock the cypher box hidden in my steamer trunk. - Again see the Legacy Dad Process if you are lost here.
While I'll have tweaked this list slightly over the years, the following are the list of books my son read during these past two years. Each one was selected to teach a specific character trait or life story. While you can use this list in your own journeys with your own son's, I encourage you to tailor your list to his particular bent, interests and your own family story. I'll be giving you updates throughout next weekend on our progress and his journey.
- Lance
Esse Quam Videri
12-14 Year Old Book List
The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar - Steven Sora
The Lord of the Flies - William Golding
100 World Leaders Who Shaped World History - Kathy Paparchontis
The Case for Faith for Kids – Lee Strobel
Boys Of Grit Series - Three Volumes by Wallace and Egermeir
A Young Man After God’s Own Heart - Jim George
Dismantled: An Honest Look at Some of Our Biggest Fears - Chad Norris and David Rhodes
Boyhood and Beyond: Practical Wisdom for Becoming a Man by Bob Schultz
Sua Sponte – Dick Couch
Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex & Brett Harris
The Red Badge of Courage - Steven Crane
The Tracker – Tom Brown
Reallionaire - Farrah Gray