Family, Faith, and Fridays: Knights in Training- Author Interview, my thoughts so far and more...

If you follow me on any social media, and if you don't - come join us, (Links at the bottom of the page!) you know that I have begun reading a new book called Knights in Training, written by Heather Haupt. Well, actually I am almost finished with it. A review of it will be posted next Friday but today I wanted to share with you a few quick thoughts from me and a few Q and A's from Heather.

Who is Heather?

Heather Haupt is the mother of three knights-in-training and a spunky little princess. She wants to be intentional during these years of parenting and raise children who will make a difference in this world. Heather is an educator, writer, and popular speaker. Recognizing the brevity of childhood and the power of a parent’s influence, she encourages and equips parents towards intentional parenting, pursuing God, and delighting in the adventure of learning. She is the author of Knights-in-Training: Ten Principles for Raising Honorable, Courageous, and Compassionate Boys as well as The Ultimate Guide to Brain Breaks. She writes at www.heatherhaupt.com.

Friends, let me tell you, Heather is a bold writer and a champion for boys and families. It is obvious from page one of her book to the very end that this is where her heart is. In Knights in Training she calls families to "inspire today's generation of young boys to pursue honor, courage, and compassion." She is encouraging moms and dads to issue a Chivalry challenge to their boys, and she is equipping her readers with creative ideas to help them along the way.

It only took me one chapter to know that this was a movement I wanted to be in on and our two boys quickly gathered all the books we had on the subject! Since then, well, things have been busy around here. I can't wait to share some of that with you next week in our full review.

Until then, I want to give you a quick glance at the background behind this book and share with you details on how to buy it, and possibly win a copy!

Let me let Heather fill you in:

What was your main goal in writing Knights in Training?

I wrote Knights in Training to help parents tap into the heart of their boys and utilize a boy’s inner dreams and drives to propel them into a future of meaning and purpose. We all love our kids and want to be purposeful during this season of childhood – enjoying the little moments as well as preparing them to succeed in life, but sometimes in the busyness of life we lose sight of HOW to make that happen. My goal here is to provide a common language and a roadmap for this exciting journey of boyhood so that one boy and one family at a time, we can restore civility and courageous compassion to our communities.

Which part of researching Knights in Training was the most personally interesting to you?
I’m a history buff, so delving into some of the primary documents and really discovering how this idea of chivalry took shape and force during the middle ages was fascinating to me. Delving into the past also reminded me that there is nothing new under the sun. We see the same challenges with human nature, our bent to wander from the Lord, from the right path as well as the importance of inspiration and ideals in captivating our imagination and calling us back to the way we ought to go. When we step into the past, we discover that young men in the middle ages struggled with choosing the easy path, that younger sons in the nobility lost sight of their purpose and meaning and were tempted to take the easy path of living a life of listlessness and apathy and yet how deep down they all wanted to find purpose and meaning.

What inspired you to write Knights in Training?

Coming up with the idea for knight training was birthed out of a desire to be intentional in raising my boys. When I saw that their love for everything battle meshed well with my discover that chivalry was far more than how a man treats a woman. I knew I wanted to embark on a season of knight training and pursuing living by this code that for the knight’s of old was an entire way of living. Little did I realize that embarking on this initial season of knight training would alter the way we viewed our role as parents and forever shape the way my boys viewed these years of childhood. I wrote the book to really flesh out what it can look like to celebrate boys for who they are and cast a vision for a life of adventure embodying the spirit of a modern-day knight. Boys are getting a bad rap these days. Part of that stems from how we approach educating boys as well as a lack of understanding and appreciation for what makes them unique. Our world needs good men and my aim with this book is to strengthen the resolve and equip parents to reach their boys by appreciating who they are and how they are wired as well as inspire them to become the men they are meant to become.

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Right now Knights in Training can be pre-ordered and you won't have too long to wait because it is almost release time!

A Knights in Training Book Release party is scheduled for next week, Tuesday, May 30 from 9-11pm (EDT). Be sure to join us for a chance to win some fun prizes and hear more from Heather!