Rearing boys is hard. I mean they are these wonderful little creatures that are so filled with emotions (both good and bad) that sometimes they just seem to just burst with something so powerful that it can be overwhelming for them and those of us who love them. When a little (or big) boy loves he can love with such intensity that it can hurt just watching him express it and when a little boy is angry that intensity can be the same.
I have reared a girl, so I know girls can be hard as well…but these boys keep me bewildered most of the time. I am parenting by myself a lot as my husband travels, so I am really having to stretch and try to see what I need to teach and where I need to push without crushing their spirits. I know God created these young men in a very unique way to fulfill His plans…I just have to try to make sure that I build up the foundation that will help them in what God has planned for them…and that can be hard. My idea of how things should be is distinctly feminine so I have to try to see it from the male side of the room.
Boys can be rough, they can be rowdy and bawdy but they can also be soft, sweet, and so protective. They live in a world that bombards them with conflicting messages about what manhood should be. All at once they get messages that they should be tough and fearless and then the next thing they are inundated with the message that they must be sensitive and intuitive. It is hard to be a boy today. Even as a parent I find myself often sending mixed messages about being brave and bold but not too brave and not too bold. So many settings that are designed for children aren’t designed for the energy, creativity and unique perspective of boys.
Nothing must be more torturous that to take a 6 year old boy and tell him to sit quietly for hours on end. But, I have done it. I have expected my boys to tolerate situations with quiet manners that I am not sure my husband could even tolerate. I have pushed them when I should have just let them find their own way. I am sure I have embarrassed them more than once and I am sure I will again with my “Momminess.”
