What we do without little boys? They can be so funny and sweet but at the same time incredibly destructive.I was totally unprepared for boyness when I gave birth to our first son. I had been raised only among girls and my first born child was a girl who even at an early age loved to organize and clean. It was quite a culture shock when our son came along. From the time he could crawl his main goal was to discover and then DESTROY! At first I kept thinking "Whats wrong with this kid?", but after awhile I realized that was just the wonder of boys.
My youngest son just turned 2 in May and has lived up to and beyond his brothers example. He can be so sweet with his chubby cheeks and sweet kisses. But at the same time he is stubborn and ingrained with a viking type personality. Pillage and conquer is his outlook on life when left to himself. After the experiences with his older brother I have found that what most boys (and girls) need is not video games or a new toy but a JOB. They need something to do to focus all that wonderful energy on. Even at the age of two a child is intelligent enough to complete simple tasks. Maybe not as well as an adult can but well enough to occupy their time and help out a little.
It's amazing to watch the change come over a little dervish when you ask if they can help you do a job. Those little faces light up and they joyously cry, me help you mommy! Favorite chores in our house is emptying the dryer, carrying in firewood, wiping off the chairs and table, cleaning the walls and floors with hot soapy water, and helping Mommy cook any kind of food. God truly created us to work and children can take the most mundane chore and seem to love it.
Boys especially need jobs to feel useful and like they are contributing. When I give my boys a job I notice an immediate change in their attitude. They are more cheerful and loving and so very proud of the job they have done. After all we all want to feel like we are accomplishing something important in life. The people who are the most discouraged in life are those that feel that what they are doing is pointless or useless. Why should children be any different? There is nothing my boys love more than to have Daddy invite them into the garage to help with some task.
Here is youngest son "fixing" older sisters bike
Helping Daddy split kindling
LOL, oh Sister, let me tell you about little boys! I am the only girl in a family of six boys, and the mother of five sons and twin daughters, and the Grandmother of eight boys and 3 girls so far.
ReplyDeleteOnce, when a new neighbor called the police over a broken window, I told the responding officers-- "Now that I know about it, of course the window will be replaced, and the offending boys will do chores to pay me back. But little boys are required to do certain things in life to say they've had a proper little boy life. They must build a tree house, and fall out of it. They must tease and chase a little girl or two (usually with an icky bug). They must fall in several muddy puddles(or be dumped in them by their brothers). They must break and be made to pay for at least one window. They must remodel their bike into strange configurations. If they don't do these things their childhood has been deprived."
One officer was appalled. He thought I was deranged. His partner began laughing because he agreed with me. He had lived just such a childhood and remembered it with great affection.