With a frightening lack of preparation, and nothing in the way of a life preserver, our culture tosses its young males into the shark tank of adult life.  It’s no wonder that so many go under, succumbing to destructive peer pressure or substance abuse or the dead end of a premature marriage.  David Hafter, who has spent decades counseling teenagers and twentysomething males, offers a ray of hope in Growing Balls: Personal Power for Young Men.  Despite the facetious title, this is a serious piece of work.  Taking on the role of an experienced, even tempered mentor — something that’s in woefully short supply these days — Hafter neither pulls his punches nor  functions as a scold.  He simply gives good advice.  With any luck, both young men and their loved ones (parents, siblings, spouses) will profit from this blunt and often amusing book.

– James Marcus, author of Amazonia

As the father of two teenage boys, I am very aware of the challenges and rewards facing young men today and of the need for us parents to engage in frank communication with them as they mature.  David Hafter’s Growing Balls is a plain-spoken, insightful and highly readable guidebook for these critical years.  It provides detailed, down-to-earth advice to both the young reader and his parents and acts as a great framework for important conversations.

William Panek, M.D.

Thanks for coming by. Please have a look at the chapter previews and if you’re interested, you can order the book online. See instructions on the “Order a copy” link. There is a little tune I put together for the book, and you can find the video on YouTube (click here or type Growing Balls into the YouTube search engine). The music sets the tone for the book and touches on some of its themes.

Again, thanks for coming!

Dave

      If you are twenty-five or under, you have no business even thinking about getting married or becoming a father.  I don’t care how in love you might be with “the greatest girl in the world.”  I’m sure she’s terrific. But it doesn’t matter how ready she feels to get married and have a baby.  She may be mature enough to become a good parent now.

      But you’re not.

      When you can attract a Worthwhile Woman and maintain a successful relationship with her, you can start thinking about being a husband and father.

      So what does it mean to say a guy “has balls”?  Of course he has balls.  Every guy has balls, right?  Sure, but we’re not talking about testicles; we’re talking about balls.  You get known for having balls by how you act, especially under pressure.  When the chips are down, a guy who has balls does the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.

      By definition, a young man is immature. Young is the opposite of mature. Don’t worry about being immature and certainly don’t take it as an insult when someone calls you immature.  This can be hard because it feels like an insult (and is usually meant as one).  But it’s really just a fact.  So what? You can choose to let the insult pass you by.  Don’t take the bait.