Raising Men, not Boys

To me (don’t be a hater, this is my personal opinion), how boys are raised ultimately determines the type of man they will become one day. The type of teenager, adult, Husband and Father they are destined to be.

This is what they learn from those who raise them, their Parents.

The kind of adults our future depends on lies on the shoulders of our children. Now to you this may not seem like much, but to me, that is the ultimate responsibility. The reason I focus on the boys is because I’m a Mom of 2 boys, I cannot speak to parents on how they should raise their daughters (even though there are a few I wish I could speak to), I can only speak about what I know, that’s boys.

We want to raise strong, God Fearing (God Loving), passionate men.

Men who have respect for women, who treat them with dignity and treat them well. This my boys will learn from their Father, which I definitely am blessed with a great Husband. (* Note to Fathers, this is either something you saw as you were growing up and its natural to imitate or something you will have to work on very hard if this is not what you were raised to witness / experience). Men who love their wives unconditionally and are not afraid to show emotions.

I want them to be mature in their thinking, rational in their understanding, and democratic in their actions. Men who care not only about themselves, but also others. Men who give and love and share. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do any of these characteristics make a man weak (you suck society for all your bad labels), they actually make them stronger. Its time we all changed our thinking towards this topic.

I want to raise my boys to have empathy, to show kindness and compassion, to be gentle but confident. I want our boys to be great communicators and great listeners. I want them to be competent but know their self worth. I want them to be able to show affection, share their feelings openly without fear of being ostracized, not bottle everything up inside.

I want them to be fully involved Dads, the Head of the Home, the Spiritual Leaders, the Provider, Protector but also the loving nurturing Father.

I want the best for my Sons, and in turn for your Daughters. I cannot do this all on my own, after all like my blog says “It takes a village to raise a child”. If this is what I expect from myself, this is what I expect from you. Take the time to evaluate what you want for your children’s lives, for their future.

The type of men my boys become is because of what we put in, now.

Make the most of it and give them your best.

We are courageous parents raising exceptional children, remember that!