Mentoring Our Boys –

2- Since I have 4 boys, work with so many boys, read a lot about boys and men, and I spent most of my childhood as a boy I have decided 2 things are true of all boys. First every boy wants to be a man. He has a desire in his heart to be a man. I remember from the time my sons were old enough to know that there is a difference between Mama and Daddy they have wanted to be a Daddy. They didn’t know what a man was, but they knew that they were like me. When they were old enough to walk they would want me to feel their muscles….see how fast I am…watch me jump off the stairs. They were never taught how to take a stick and use it for a sword, but everyone of them figures this out.

Second, I believe every boy wants to be apart of an adventure to some degree or another. Some boys an adventure is to sleep alone in a tent in the woods. Some boys want to rappel off the side of a mountain. This is why boys drive too fast, build ramps to jump their bikes, jump off houses, etc. The problem with many parents today is that we try to exploit the natural fear of young children into staying away from adventure, because they might get hurt. So the only safe “adventure” for many boys is to play video games. But look at the video games that boys want to play. They want to play games that shoot somebody or beat somebody. Dr. James Dobson talks about a mother that asked him if it was OK if her son played with toy guns. His response was that if she didn’t he would carve his peanut butter sandwich into one. We have to show our sons that the biggest adventure they will ever go on is a life on mission for God. Our relationship with Jesus is not something that restricts us and keeps us from having a good time…it is an adventure. We’re on a mission from the KING.

3- As a society we are sacrificing our children on the alter of popularity. We are afraid that our children will be different and not be accepted. I believe it is time to “call our sons out” to be different. To be “Modern-Day Knights”. To live by a new code. To be Holy. To do this we have to be intentional. We can’t be afraid of peer pressure. We have to recognize that peer pressure is not a teenage issue, it is a life-long war that most adults are losing as much as teenagers. If we can’t beat peer pressure, we sure can not expect our sons to.