I don’t often find myself in church, but last Sunday, during a rare moment of devotion, I had an unexpected encounter that stayed with me long after the sermon ended.

A middle-aged woman, whom I had never met before, sat beside me and, without prompting, began to share her story. It wasn’t a tale of heartbreak or failed relationships; it was something far deeper: a mother’s cry for her lost son.

Her son had once been full of promise. Yet within two years, he had been expelled from multiple schools. She did everything a mother could do; sold land, took loans, drained her savings from village groups, all in an attempt to save him. But nothing worked. Her once-loving boy had become angry, rebellious, and entangled in addiction.

Sadly, her story is not unique. Many parents are silently breaking under the weight of their children’s struggles. At work, in our communities, and behind closed doors, we see exhausted, frightened, and frustrated parents fighting to save their sons from the snares of alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, and even toxic relationships.

Some boys grow angry, lazy, argumentative, even violent. Others isolate themselves or turn to theft to support unsustainable lifestyles. And yet, the truth is; these boys are not inherently “bad.” They’re lost. Desperately searching for identity, for belonging, for purpose, but in all the wrong places.

That’s why this message matters. It’s why mentorship matters. It’s why Boys-to-Men Mentorship Camps must be emphasized in every community.

He was the perfect child. At home, school, and community, he was used as a positive example to inspire other children. He excelled.

Then, finally, he joined university. The excitement, sense of freedom, peer pressure, and the beautiful ladies surrounded him. He wanted to do what many around him were doing.

Before one could notice, he was cohabiting. He even began paying fees for the girl. And yet back home, his family was indebted, selling land to educate him. He was their hope.

He soon ran out of money as expected. The girl got pregnant. Not even betting could help him. The once-perfect guy had drowned in alcohol, promiscuity, and eventually theft.

Of course, the parents trusted him. Three years later, graduation came. Everyone who loved him bragged about how he had finally taken away the shame of the clan by being the first graduate.

As the parents arrived, he wasn’t there. It’s only when they asked friends that the family realized the boy had dropped out in the first year.

All the fees he had been collecting were going nowhere. He was lost, addicted, and a young parent. The girl had found someone better, and left him with a baby and HIV. Not even his tears could save him. He couldn’t explain how he had become a shadow of his old self, the good boy…. But too late…

This sounds too extreme to be real, and yet it is the plight of several parents.

Too often, we assume that mentorship is only for troubled boys. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Mentorship protects the good boys from getting lost.

Your son is at an age where one wrong step can cost him everything: the wrong friends, the wrong habits, and the wrong mindset. Let’s interrupt that path; the right mentorship could be the turning point.