“Whatever happened to real boys?” That’s a question a friend and client asked me recently. Not knowing the answer, I replied with “what’s a real boy?” It’s a question that a lot of folks are trying to answer these days. John Eldridge raised a similar question in his bestseller Wild At Heart and Bill Perkins raises it in his new book Six Rules Every Man Must Break. It does seem that it’s more difficult for boys to be boys these days. What do you think? Boys can be disruptive and obnoxious and a royal pain in the rear. I know, I’ve been and continue to be in that category at times. I overheard a teacher a couple of months ago comment to another teacher at a school event…She said, “wouldn’t be great if they all acted like that, as she pointed to a group of girls neatly and calmly playing and interacting with each other. Admittedly, the boys nearby were shoving each other, being loud and rambunctious and generally having a great time…But I couldn’t get this teacher’s comment out of my mind…”Wouldn’t it be great if they all acted like that?” And a 1% member, Jeff DeHart, forwarded this article to me this morning. If you have boys or have ever known any, this is worth reading.
Here’s a brief excerpt. “The trick is not to squash the essence of boys, but to channel their natural wildness into manliness. And this is what keeps me awake at night, because it’s going to take a miracle for someone like me, who grew up without meaningful male influence, who would be an embarrassment to Teddy Roosevelt, to raise three men. Along with learning what makes a good father, I face an added dilemma: How do I raise my sons to be better than their father?” Complete Article form Wall Street Journal online editorial page.
Happy Father’s Day!
