INFO for Families

Raising Boys

Here is a wonderful article from a mother of 5 boys with some great, practical wisdom on raising boys. It's full of great advice for moms of boys seeking to raise them to love the Lord: Mothering Boys Isn't a Chore

The World is Full of Boys Who Can Shave

What are we doing to help our boys become men? If we are counting on the culture to set the pace for them, we will be disappointed. The new prolonged adolescence found in our world encourages men to stay boys into their mid to late twenties. The underlying message is clear:

Don't commit. Don't be responsible. Don't grow up. Video games are awesome. Pornography is an adequate substitute for a sacrificial relationship with a real woman.

And as long as we don't expect them to grow up, be assured that they won't.

Mark Driscoll addresses this issue on his blog today. As you read it, don't just think of the twenty-something men you know. Think of the boys in your home. Then ask yourself this question: "What am I doing to help them to think differently than this?"

Read the blog post here.

Brilliance from George Will

I have subscribed to Newsweek magazine ever since they offered me a subscription in college at $.19 an issue. They haven't raised the price, so I still get my news on the cheap from them. And while it usually leans a bit more too the left than I do, I always appreciate it when they throw George Will on the last page. He tends to balance things out a bit.

I ran across his thoughts on men who don't grow up. He suggests that men are staying immature a lot longer in our culture today than they did even 40 years ago. I think he's right. I see immaturity in the men around me and I see immaturity in the man in the mirror. It concerns me to no end.

The Basement Boys by George Will

Raising Boys - 24 Key Points to Ponder

The following came from an anonymous Mother in Austin, Texas...

 

These are some things I've learned from my Boys:

 

1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq.ft. house 4 inches deep.

 

2.  If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

 

3.  A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

 

4.  If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.  

 

5.  You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit.  A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

 

6.  The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan. 

 

7.  When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.

 

8.   Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

 

9.   A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.

 

10.  CertainLego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old boy.

11.  Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

 

12.  Super glue is forever.

 

13.  No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

 

14.  Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

 

15.  VCR's do not eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

 

16.  Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

 

17.  Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

 

18.  You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

 

19.  Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

 

20.  The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.

 

21.  The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

 

22.  It will, however, make cats dizzy.

 

23.  Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

 

24.  80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.