Raising Boys

Raising boys has been a such a blessing. To be honest, though, I always wanted daughters. It took me a while to get over not having any girls. But! God in His sovereign goodness blessed me with my five boys and I wouldn’t trade my life for anything!

Raising Boys is an Adventure

Boys are fun and crazy. There is never a shortage of amazement and laughter and “did they really just do that?” thoughts. They really can come up with crazy things to do together! We have had our share of medical emergencies and we may have used a couple tubes of crazy glue to put them all back together more than a few times.

Competition

One of the things we had to work through when our boys were younger was competition between them. Everything was a competition! Who could get upstairs first, who could get into the car first, who could get into bed first, who gets to sit in the crack of the sofa… Thankfully they out grew the serious (not friendly) competitions. Now it’s just fun and silly and they do nice things like rush to be the first to open doors for their parents. They still like to be competitive, but they have friendly competitions. I kind of miss the sofa crack competition, though. It was pretty comical. Why would anyone rush to sit in the crack of a sofa and then fight if you didn’t get it?? We originally had a sofa with just two cushions, which just had one “crack” between the cushions. That sofa went kaput (five boys) and we needed another. One of the search criteria was at least 2 “cracks.” The crazy things we do when we have kids.

Give them the feeling of being needed

Our boys are an important part of our family. We all work together to make our home run well. Even when they were very young they always had their jobs and they continue to help out as they have grown older. Giving them responsibility, within reason for their age, gives them the feeling of accomplishment. They are able to complete tasks and are given their due thanks. They are willing to be helpful and often do not even need to be asked.

Manners

Raising boys to be respectful of others is so important. To be able to see things from other people’s perspective and to see how they feel about things is a good quality. Considering others before yourself and holding your elders in high esteem is important to instill in your children. I think there is a great lack of respect in many youth these days! Teach your children to be respectful.

Boys need to know how to treat women and this starts with their mother… They need to be polite and caring. Like I’ve already mentioned, my boys like to open doors for me. I don’t know when this started, but my boys make sure they open doors for me. (Actually they open doors for their father, too.) After we pray before dinner, the first thing out of all of their mouths is “Thank you for the dinner, Mommy!” It makes me feel seen and appreciated, even if they don’t like what’s for dinner.

I want our boys to be good husbands and fathers. To be able to see when they are needed and already know how they can help without having to be asked. I pray for their future wives and that our boys will be a blessing to them.

Godly Men

We want to raise our boys to be godly men. Thankfully they have lots of godly examples in their lives. They love the church and it’s the best day of the week for them.

Raising boys to be strong men

We often tell our boys to “man up.” One day, Lord willing, our boys will be husbands and fathers. They will need to lead and be strong men to care for their families. Being strong men means being able to take responsibility, to be able to step up to hard situations, learn from mistakes and do better next time.

Instilling friendships with siblings

This was one of my Whys for homeschooling our children. I didn’t want them pulled away in all different direction with going to school and all kinds of separate activities. I think having them always together forces them to be able to work together. They know each other very well. We even had all five of our boys sleeping in one room for many years. Bedtime was a circus, but they have very sweet memories of that time. I do love hearing them talk and laugh together in their rooms after bedtime. They have always been close, with the normal ups and downs of relationships, but they have the sweetest friendships that I hope to enjoy watching as they grow into adulthood.

Boundaries

Have you heard the saying, “boys are easier, but harder to keep alive.” This may be true for both boys and girls, but as I’m writing this, I have three of my boys going up and down our hardwood stars with roller blades on. (Be still my heart!) We have to set some boundaries so they won’t die, but give them room to be creative and take some risks within reason. (So they will now go up and down the stairs on their bottoms!) I don’t want my boys to be afraid to try things, but to have the wisdom and confidence to do great things.

Raising boys and Potty Humor

Potty humor was one “perk” I did not think about when I had all my boys. But I should have known, since their father is just as silly. For example, have you seen my Sourdough Kentucky Butter bundt cake recipe? This will forever be called “Butt Cake” in my house. I have learned to laugh at most, I mean how can you not laugh when everyone else is?

Blessings

Children are blessings and whether you have sons or daughters or a mix of both we need to cherish the gifts that they are and help them to grow up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. May the Lord give us wisdom and grace in our parenting.