One of my greatest joys in life is watching my little boys take up the mantle of manhood. The sweetness of little boys is balm to a mothers heart. My little boys have brought crumpled wads of weeds to present to me as great gifts and it brings tears to my eyes. My little boys love to give me kisses with gooey, chocolate covered lips and I welcome their adoration, knowing that some day they will choose to give their kisses to another. But, what I love the most, is watching my sons embrace the character qualities of real men. I love watching them take dominion over their environment. I love watching them rush to protect their sisters if they perceive a threat. I love watching them learn by their fathers side.
Yesterday, I was watching Sir Knight engaging Master Calvin in battle. Master Calvin was watching every move his father made. He copied his battle tactics exactly. He held his sword, moved his feet and even made the same guttural sounds his dad did. He was learning to be a man.
Master Hand Grenade is also learning at his fathers side. He is learning to work on engines, cut wood, clean and shoot rifles and help me in the kitchen. He is learning to be "Job Foreman" when his dad is not home, and take responsibility to see that a job is done well. He is learning to direct his siblings, but do it in a way that is just and merciful. He is learning the way of a man.
Our sons are the future leaders of our families, our churches and our country. I am so thankful that I have a husband who is teaching my sons to be men. I look around at the alternative and it is unacceptable. I do not want some school teacher, cub scout leader or movie star being the driving force in my sons' lives. God gave them a father to show them the way. No one is better suited, or has a better reason to see my sons become the men God intended them to be than their father. He is uniquely suited for the task.
My young men are Men-In-Training and their Master is their Father. I am truly blessed beyond measure.
What a blessing to see young men being trained in the ways of the Lord, to defend and protect their families and take dominion and be future leaders of their homes.
ReplyDeleteMost of the men I see around town are long-haired, filthy, rude, and squishy - not manly at all. I wondered where the real men went, now I know - they're in Idaho.
ReplyDeleteA real man is gentle when the situation calls for gentleness and strong when strength is needed. A real man needs no red sports car nor 20-year-old girlfriend (when he's 50) nor a mansion to prove he's a man. A real man knows he's a man and everybody around him knows it, too.
Real men were once valued in this society, but now they are too often ridiculed, rejected, and thought of as unnecessary. Perhaps when real men regain their status in society, many of the ills of our country will be healed.
Here's to your men-in-training. May they someday meet young women who appreciate them as much as you appreciate your husband. But that would require real women, and they are hard to find, too.
NoCal Gal
A man is not a bully. Giving in to the primordial drive of testosterone is not what makes a man impressive.
ReplyDeleteA man is not a wimp. Suppressing every urge to be strong, dominant and aggressive is not what makes a man acceptable. (It wouldn't do any good to only scream for help if the people who respond only come to help you scream.)
It's a tricky balance between the two we're looking for. The wonderful and precious newborn baby boys we mothers all go "ooooohhhhh!" over are lucky to have a good man for a father to make him into a man as well. To me, it's a daunting and terrible responsibility not to be taken lightly.
God Bless the few and desperately needed MEN of the world.
your pictures of your young men make me think about digging out the scrapbooks..my son loved to follow his daddy all about and ask him questions from sun-up to sun-down...it makes a real difference in their lives to have a good teacher like their daddies.
ReplyDeleteValuable insights, Enola. But what is a James Washer? And how do you can cheese, as I have never seen canned cheese as an option in any canning/cookbook? Also, I feel as though we use up all that I try to stockpile and always have to buy more. How do you get "ahead" when everyday life eats up what you've worked for?
ReplyDelete