The Mom of a Boy

Being the mom of a little boy is all about adventure.  Recently I was asked to give a devotional at a friends baby shower.  Being the mother of a very active, almost two year old asked to speak to a mom that had just had her first boy I thought that I would encourage her along the challenging road that lay ahead.  By no means am I claiming expertise on the topic or issue of how to raise a boy but am coming from my two years of experience and my childhood of being the sister of a boy.  Here are the thoughts that I shared, may they be encouraging and enlightening as you interact and deal with boys.

Adventure

A – Anticipate : so that you are not always saying 'no'. 

D – Defer to Dad : Sons naturally idolize there fathers especially once your child is older. They seem to respect their words more so allow Dad to handle things some times.

V – Venture Out : be their partners on adventures and the listening ear when they come back from one – be their biggest fan!

E – Encourage : exploring, climbing, running, swinging and all other fun activities.

N – Nurture Independence : My son loves to follow me around when I work and 'help'. So I encourage this and provide him with a broom or a rag, or let him put the money into the slot when we do laundry.  The look of determination while he does the task and the look of pride when he has accomplished it is so worth the extra time.

T – Train : Prov. 2 – provide instruction and wisdom through example and your words

2 Pet. Virtues to instill Faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly love, and love.

U – Unconditional love : President Bush Jr. say that his father 'gave him the freedom to fail'. That is what God allows it in our lives also. Mistakes are the way that we learn and I think even more so for boys.

R – Run with them : Trips to the zoo, just running at the park is amazing fun for them and I have learned to always keep a ball on hand so that my son can 'kick it'.

E – Enjoy them : for who they are.

These last words are the ones that my husband came up with when given the word adventure.  I love how different they are from mine.

Action

Danger

Violence

Excitement

Noise

Trouble / thrills

Unexpected

Reckless

Entertainment