Wisdom for Our Sons:
Straight Talk from a Street Cop
By Curtis Ostrander
Before I became a cop, I thought poverty, racism, bad neighborhoods and substandard schools were the reasons young men failed to succeed in life. Then I joined the police department, hit the streets and immediately got mugged by reality: I was wrong, the media were wrong, my professors were wrong and the politicians were wrong. Why?
From my first day on the job I was meeting young men from the poorest of homes in the worst of neighborhoods who were honest, intelligent, respectful and destined for future success. I also met just as many young men who were born into wealthy homes, in wonderful neighborhoods, who had no respect for their parents, abused alcohol and drugs, were opportunistic thieves, and ended up in the back seat of my patrol car on a regular basis.It didn’t take long before I discovered that it was the fathers—yes, the fathers; they were the single most important factor in determining the future success or failure of their sons.
What can you do to become a good dad, or maybe even a great dad? Teach your son. Teach him valuable life lessons about faith, honesty, love, courage and other important virtues. Teach him about God, teach him about Angels and teach him about you.
"A unique and practical guide for fathers who want to instill character, courage and other important virtues into their sons’ lives."
—Phyllis Kuehnl-Walters, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist
"A great book for fathers of any age who want their sons to become good men, good fathers and good husbands."
—Sheriff Kenneth Lansing, Tompkins County Sheriff, Ithaca, N.Y.
"Ostrander has unique life experiences, incredible passion and a strong Christian faith. This combination has given him great wisdom that fathers everywhere can benefit from."
—William Gastfield Jr., M.S. Counseling Psychology
"Ostrander calls us to biblical stewardship in preparing our sons for a world that seeks to fill the parental void with ruinous devotion to self. Nothing could be more important to the life of the confessing Church than this book and its teachings.
—Rev. Stan Moody, Ph.D., Founder and President, Columbia Street Project
Curtis Ostrander has the unique perspective of one who has seen the best and worst of humanity. His time on the street taught him many life lessons for men that heartfully shares. Our Christian duty as Fathers to lead and teach our young sons will bear fruit for generations.
— Randall A. Liberty, Warden, Maine State Prison
Support for these organizations: A portion of the sales of this book will support the ministries of Dads For A Day, Inc(www.dadsforaday.org), founded by the author Curtis S. Ostrander, in The Villages, Florida,and The Columbia Street Project (www.columbiastreetproject.org/), in Bangor, Maine.
Paperback, 6 x 9, 108 pages, ISBN 978-0998319278
E-books are available for Kindle, Nook, and on itunes.
Curtis S. Ostrander holds a B.S. degree in Public Administration from the State University of New York. He is also a graduate of the F.B.I. National Academy, Quantico, Virginia. During his almost 30 years of police service Curtis served as a patrol officer, detective, swat team leader, and Chief of Police. He was later employed by Cornell University where he served as Vice President for Risk Management and Public Safety.
