BOYS SHOULD BE BOYS - WEEK 2 CHAPTER 3

BOYS SHOULD BE BOYS: 7 SECRETS TO RAISING HEALTHY SONS by Meg Meeker, M.D.

Oh my goodness! Did you not love the stories in this week's chapter?! I completely understand the desire to sleep outside. My grandparents had a sleeping porch off the second level of their house. They lived next to the Juniata River in Pennsylvania, and it was a delight to sleep out there in the warm weather. I don't know what I would have done as a child if a face would have appeared over the edge though! What struck me about the whole situation was how honorably Eli treated the young man. That could have been handled a million different ways, and he chose gentle confrontation with a nonverbal understanding. Then, there's the story of the boys and their fort. All necessities were included including the pipe for the bathroom. I laughed out loud How different from when my sister and I played in the woods and made forts. We were more concerned about the kitchen area for making mud pies then having a bathroom. After reading this, I am convinced the spirit of Tom Sawyer lives on in boys when nature and good friends are thrown together. Seriously, the backpack, the clip, the use of margarine, and the moment that all eyes landed on the smallest in the group as the "test pilot" are proof. I did some crazy things in my younger years but hearing my brother and cousins' stories about the things they did continually is hilarious. Each day was an adventure and the goal was to live life to the fullest and conquer.

A couple of topics that really stuck out to me in this chapter: the parental desire to micromanage and the realization of power.

Micromanaging is a real issue in today's world. Our world is a different place from when my parents grew up and when we grew up. My parents talk often about how they ran and biked around their neighborhoods as kids. My mom lived in a small town: my dad grew up in a suburb of Detroit. My mom loved when all the kids got together and played neighborhood baseball. No parents were involved, rules had to be agreed on at the start, and it was the kids' responsibilities to work out problems/issues. Now, we cart our kids from one organized event to another. We're losing the development of learning to work together in the formative years. Everything has to be intense instead of the lazy, summer day atmosphere of fun.

The last thing I'm going to touch on is the reference to power. The discovery of power, the refinement and learning to control it, and then learning to use it in the blessing of others are valuable lessons for young men. This chapter definitely challenged me to have my son focus more on serving others. It is so important that we help them learn to use their power not in selfish pursuits (often at the expense of others) but at the lifting of others up.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts! Comment away!