"Teaching boys how to be men" is one of my boards on Pinterest (found here if you want a lot of great reading!). It's a collection of all kinds of articles to help my husband and I teach good character as we hope to train up Godly men in our home.
Most days I feel that I need all the help I can get. Growing up with all sisters and 4 girl cousins has created a shock for this momma when I had all boys. I mean, "What am I supposed to do when my 3 year old boy wants to play tractors....for TWO HOURS?!?" = It means I learn how to play tractors and how to make better vehicle sounds; and learn to love it!
With 4 boys, life is a whirlwind of 'resetting' -- feeding, cleaning, playing...and then redoing it over and over and over. But the hard part isn't the busyness of it all...the hard part is also fitting all the time it takes to teach!! Remembering to teach nutrition when eating,
remembering to ask about their thoughts of the day when getting into bed,
remembering to point out how God is working as we make choices, and so on.
And the even harder part comes when there's a problem. ....with a friend at school, with a sibling, with a personal challenge. So I stop to listen and encourage good character traits.
I try think of my sons as the future men they are becoming...and how my words greatly impact their internal vision of themselves.
One of my favorite reads for the day is here: http://momastery.com/blog/2015/06/01/simple-hard/
This mom put it so perfectly when she said -
"Kind and brave has been our family’s battle cry...
And I’ve always told my kids that your job isn’t who you are.
Your character is who you are.
So when folks ask my kids what they 'want to be,' they think character, not career."
Being kind. Being brave. Putting aside ourselves so as to encourage others. Loving unconditionally. May the weariness of parenting fade as your bravely and kindly lead your children today.
