BOYS SHOULD BE BOYS - WEEK 5 - HALF OF CHAPTER 7 (PGS. 105 - 125)

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

It's time to step into the chapter on a mother's love, and I'm going to add her "intuition." Mommas typically have "Spidey" senses when it comes to things going on behind the scenes. We don't always get it right. We may miss things or even falsely accuse, but more times than not, we are on the money.

 I really liked the quote, "most mothers travel many mental miles when confronting their son's problems." I get the mental miles thing ( and it doesn't all have to do with my son), but that's a real characteristic of moms. We scale Mt. Everest about every other day, don't we?!

I agree that moms are the "face of love," but I'm going to extend that just a bit. We are the face of emotional love to our sons. We soothe the hurts with warmth and compassion. Dads are the face of, I'm not sure exactly what to call it, tough love. It's a father's love that calls his son to step up and become a strong leader for his wife and family some day. He's the one who can, because it's the role he lives day in and day out. He knows the strain and toil and what it takes to navigate it.

I completely get the part about a son leaving his mother. Scripture actually even tells us this fact in Matt. 19:5. A son can always still look to his father for wisdom on navigating life, but when a son marries, there's a new face of emotional love that he turns to and rightfully so. It's not that a mother is completely shut out or not appreciated, but there is no doubt that the relationship takes on a much different form.

The last thing I'll say here is about the mama swan example. Wasn't that great?! We all understand the "mama bear" that comes roaring out of us when one of our children is mistreated in any way, shape, or form. Heaven help the person responsible for the mistreatment, because there's a runaway train barreling down the mountain, and they're standing directly on the tracks! Amen?

Okay- the floor's open! Let's hear your thoughts!