Life is never a bed of roses, is it? I know mine certainly is not. No way. This little blog of mine was never intended to be a place where I share only our sweet, happy times, but rather a place where I can be real and authentic. I cannot be any other way. Not here, and not in real life.
And so tonight I come to you, my blog friends, with a need. A need for resources. A need for shared hearts. A need for advice. A need for counsel.
Perhaps you can help.
Oh, the joys of parenting. I wonder if we ever perfect the art of being a great parent. Truthfully, we feel like we completely blow it at least ten times a day. At least. There are not many days that I can get into bed at the end of a day feeling like I did it all perfectly. I loved my kids well. I listened well. I did not raise my voice or show negative emotion once. Nope, those days are pretty much non-existent in my world.
There are just times we feel like we fail miserably. I don’t know, maybe it’s just us who feel that way. Or maybe you feel that way too?
We’re definitely walking a new road these days. It’s called having tweens, I believe. I just see it as a time of kids crossing over from that ‘little kid’ stage to being bigger(er) kids. Call it whatever you like. Whew, it sure can have its challenges. There are times when I so wish I had some kind of degree in child psychology or christian parenting to have more of an understanding about what we’re dealing with. Lord have mercy–we have not even approached the teen years yet. My hubby was quick to remind me that we will have five teenagers at one time in the future. Thanks Honey–delightful thought!
So, coming back to the here and now. We are beginning to notice that boys and girls are seriously different. Okay, we’ve actually always known that, but what I mean is that raising them is so different.
Boys are, well, just boys. We all know that there is a time in a boys life when he crosses over from being tied to mommy’s apron strings to being more of a ‘man’. We’re definitely at that stage. Our big boys are crossing over. And that’s a good thing. But how in the world do we help them navigate the process?
The problem is that we are facing a few parenting hiccups as our sweet boys start maturing more. One son, in particular, is being very challenging, and we just don’t know which way to turn for advice. Truthfully, we see characteristics in his personality that make us afraid for his future. We long to steer him in the right direction. We long to help him learn that having a great work ethic is crucial to being successful as a man. We long to see him being less sensitive about the small stuff. We don’t want him to grow up being weak and unable to tackle the challenges life will throw his way. We don’t want him to lie belly up when the storms of life blow his way. We long to see him rise up and become a strong man of God.
But how do we do that? Yes, we obviously know that prayer works, and we do that. But we are feeling like we need tools in our hands to equip us to raise Godly men. How desperately this world needs Godly men!
I told my hubby that I knew just the right group of people to ask for advice–you, my dear bloggy friends.
Those of you raising boys, or who have already raised boys…what are some of the best resources you have found to equip you to raise your sons? Have you read great books, or watched a fabulous DVD series? If you have, would you mind sharing them with us, please? If you have not found the perfect resources, perhaps you could share with us what has worked for your family as you have raised boys? We would absolutely appreciate you sharing your wisdom with us here. And I know for a fact that a few other moms reading along will glean from any knowledge you share. I love that we can all learn from each other.
Thanks for your help and advice. Please feel free to share any nugget of wisdom that has worked for your family as you have raised/or are raising your precious sons to be Godly men. It is such a joy to know that we never journey alone as parents–that there is always someone who has walked in our shoes and can share their journey with us.
Love you all.
