Are Your Raising Your Boys to Become Men

How do we grow our little boys into gentlemen? More than this, how can we grow them into men of God? Such are questions asked by every good parent. Parents who look around and see a world filled with immature, selfish “Peter Pan” types rather than strong, respectful, mature men. How can we teach and shape our boys in such a way that they go against the flow and march to the beat of a drum not played by the pop culture of our day?

We want boys to become men and live a life against the current of this sex saturated, women berating, lazy, selfish, entitled world in which we live. But raising boys to become men who represent the opposite of the world’s values takes work. Parents must make up their mind to be intentional in this process. The hard work cannot be “farmed” out to the school, church or our peers. Our boys need a better guide than these and the work of guidance takes time and effort on our part. With that in mind I offer the following help to parents who want to raise their boy into a God honoring gentleman…

raising our boys to become men

Raising Our Boys to Become Men

Pray — You knew we would start here and it is always a given that any life change we participate in requires a lot of prayer. Through prayer we exercise our dependence upon God. You are embarking upon something beyond your ability to do on your own. Your child has a will of his own and try as you may you cannot actually control his choices as he grows. God works in us to will and to act so ask God to work upon the will of your son and move him to desire genuine, Biblical manhood for his own life rather than the playboy, Peter Pan model of manhood offered by so many other venues into his world.
Role Model — A father is a nearly indispensable need in a boy’s life if he is to become a man. But not every boy is afforded the blessing of a dad. So if you are a single mom pray and seek out a man who might pour into your son’s life and model what it means to be a man. Little boys learn best from what they hear and see rather than what they hear alone. Dad, you must model manhood!
Respect Women — Not just women they are attracted to or like or even know, but every woman. Women deserve respect and it is beyond the scope of this article to explain why. There are so many examples of the beauty, power, strength and blessing of womanhood and these must be taught to our boys if they are to treat women as they should. No boy who disrespects womanhood can ever be considered a man.
Work Hard — No boy ever became a man who didn’t learn the value of hard work. All too often we see grown up boys (a boy in a man’s body) who can only be described as lazy. This is the stereotypical guy who is 25 years old, lives in his parent’s basement and lacks ambition to ever do anything which might require him to do that four letter word called “work.” If you are giving your boys everything and shielding them from ever earning what they want through hard work, you are raising a boy not a man.
Dream — Teach your boy to dream big dreams. Teaching our kids to reach for their dreams and work hard for them is a must if we are to train boys for manhood. A man has ambition and Godly ambition is developed in those moments we allow our mind to dream. Teach your young boys to take the time to dream!
Get Up Again — Perhaps no one has ever said it better than Rocky Balboa so click here and enjoy! The world “ain’t all sunshine and rainbows.” The world is going to knock all of us down at some point but its not how hard you can hit back, it is about how much you can take and keep moving forward. Teach your boy to get up. Men get up. Men never quit.
Self-Control — Jesus said, “Love your enemies” and this was no mere suggestion. Hate, revenge and a “look out for number one” mentality are inconsistent with Christianity and genuine manhood. Our boys must learn they cannot control how the world comes at them but they can control their response to the world. Self control and love in the face of the world’s ugliness demonstrates the life of a man who lives above the immature impulses of boyhood.

raising boys who become men

So here is my short list, not all inclusive list, on how to raise boys to men. There is no more important job in life than raising your young boy to know Christ and become a man. The reward for such work is well worth it!