July 20, 2022 – All About Boys

Hey, Mama!

Gena Suarez, Publisher of TOS

The Gift of Sons

Hey Mama,

Look at your son. Sometimes it’s hard to believe how loud he can be. Man, he’s a chatterbox. And he sure makes his wants known. Some call that “whining.” And why is he so scruffy, sweaty, and dusty all the time? Oh my, the smells! Is that normal? Ahhh, and can he eat. That boy can put it away. How on earth do you afford it?

Stop listening to the negativity. It’s toxic. Don’t do that to yourself. Let’s focus on what’s TRUE:

Mama, you want to know something? That little crackerjack tiger is going to be a man someday, a man who will love you fiercely and who would protect you against anything that dared to come against you. He talks a lot because he’s figuring out who he is; his identity is being formed now. He whines at times and expresses himself fully, but that’s because he’ll be a leader someday and he’s learning and testing his limits. Someday his expressions will be eloquent and clear. He will walk and speak with a confidence that will make your heart swell.

Yeah, he’s sweaty because he’s not afraid of physical activity and hard work. Dirt? It doesn’t faze him. As a man, he won’t be sniveling and lazy, afraid of getting his hands dirty. Like his dad (and his mama), he will get it done and with high standards; his family will be his priority. And as you are getting the word of God into his heart, his great Lord and Savior will be his Everything.

Take a look at these articles from The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine for suggestions on raising Godly young men:

52 Godly Men: The Gift of a Lifetime by Craig Thompson
A Challenge for Young Men by Rhea Perry
ALERT Academy by John Boulden

Keep walking, Mama. Don’t give up. Yes, he’s a pressure cooker of popcorn, ever popping off and not all that well reigned in. But he’s a work in progress, and ultimately, he is the Lord’s business. You plant; God waters and harvests. You pour into him now and reap the blessings later.

See that boy? Close your eyes and fast forward a decade or two. See that man? He’s yours now, and you’ll be his then. Those scrawny little arms are the ones that will lift you up in your old age.

Embrace this time. What a gift. In the meantime, your Father’s hand is on your head.

-gena

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Raising Real Men

Hal & Melanie Young, RaisingRealMen.com

Strategies for Teaching Boys

All about boys? Where do we start? After all, we have six—in a row. We homeschooled them all from the beginning all the way to graduation, too. Boys really are different from girls, both their sisters and their moms. Here are a few ways that those differences impact homeschooling:

Boys like to learn in a spot that is cool and brightly lit. A fan and a good light can help keep your guys awake and learning.

Boys develop small motor skills later than girls. When you are teaching handwriting, have him drag that pencil across the paper, but when you are teaching other things, boys who do less writing in the early years tend to enjoy school a lot more—and it won’t hurt them later.

Boys learn better after they use their big muscle groups. Instead of nagging him to sit still and work, get him up running laps, doing push-ups, or jumping on a mini-trampoline, and he’ll focus better on his work afterward.

Boys love to wrestle with ideas. Take the time to discuss what you’re learning and don’t get put off if he seems to question you, “How do you know?” Boys love to debate and discuss ideas to understand them better.

Boys go through their intellectual growth spurt in high school—if they try! That’s why one of the most important things you can do for your boys in elementary and middle school is to preserve their love of learning and their academic confidence. Make time for hands-on activities and field trips. Get excited about what you are teaching. Show your boys that you love to learn, too, and the coming years will be easier!

Want to find out more about homeschooling and parenting boys? Get 15% off Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching, and Appreciating Boys with the coupon code boyschooling here!

Your friends,
Hal & Melanie

About the author

Hal & Melanie Young are the award-winning, best-selling authors of Raising Real Men, No Longer Little, and Love, Honor, and Virtue. They are publishers, writers, bloggers, and popular conference speakers internationally, known for their Christ-centered focus and practical, real-life stories. They are the parents of six real boys (five grown!) and two real girls and live in noisy, messy happiness in North Carolina.

David West

Pillar of Hope
David West – Live So Your Sons Imitate Christ

As I write, my boys are forty thousand feet above the earth. The two of them are flying across the United States to attend a youth conference with cousins. They are 18- and 15-years-old, yet I find myself checking the flight status and waiting for them to text me when they’ve landed safely. An adventure like this is good for boys; it helps them spread their wings and grow. But there’s something even more important that I desire for them. There’s something more important for them than doing hard things, attempting grand projects, or leading brave charges.

I desire for my boys to mature into Christlikeness. The Lord may give them opportunities for leadership; they may use their gifts to make the world a better place; and they may build great things and create great things and dream great things; yet the greatest thing for them is to be more like Christ.

One way that I can help them do this is by my example. The Apostle Paul said to the believers at Corinth, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” My own growth in Christ is one of the best ways I can help my boys become the men I desire them to be. Much of the time, this will not look amazing, epic, or fantastic. It will be ordinary and mundane – little moments when the fruit of the Spirit is evident, when temptations are beaten down, when heavenly realities are shown to be more valuable than earthly vanities. The most important things in life are often this way, seemingly unimportant in the moment, ultimately important in the end. Boys need to learn these eternal truths, and they do so by watching wise parents.

About the author

David West is an ordinary father serving an extraordinary Savior. He is husband to Danette, father of six, deacon at The Cornerstone Bible Church, past chairman of the Sacramento Organization of Parent Educators (scopehome.org), sales manager by vocation, and a lover of books and writing.

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