Secrets to Raising Boys

Raising our boys is a joy, delight and hard work.  I'll be honest.  Being raised in a family of four girls and one older brother, I had no idea what being a "Boy Mom" would look like.  Now, eleven years later, I wanted to share a few things that help us greatly in this journey.  Here are our secrets to Raising Boys :

1) A Solid Faith.   Our faith is the glue of our family.  We are thankful to put our trust and hope in Christ and to turn to Him for guidance in raising our boys.  We turn to the Psalms and Proverbs for instruction and wisdom in raising our boys.

2) A Strong Man.   This whole thing would not happen if I didn't have such a rock solid man in my life. I am thankful for Lane, my Boulder Mountain Man, for his strength and consistency in leading our family. And he is so cute! :)

3) A Loving Mother.  Me, yeaaaa! Just joking.  However, I do believe in a Mother's love and thanks to my husband and my resolve to raise our children, I have been able to shower our children with love everyday.

4) Lots of Outdoor Time.  We rock the outdoors.  Seriously, we believe in the outdoors and activity time.  Pardon me, I do not mean signing up for every activity that hits your inbox just to be running and doing.  We have found that 'getting them out everyday' is key.  We are an active family and enjoy swimming, tennis, hiking, biking, walking, and light saber dueling.  Really, love spending time together and getting exercise most days. Research has shown how important this is for children and adults.

5) Boundaries and Structure.  Children love and respond to boundaries and structure.  We have found that the more consistent we are in this area, the more happy we all are.  The boys know what to expect when we set up a plan and stick to it.  This is true of a schedule, chores, play time, etc.

6) Joy of Reading.   We are committed to sharing our love of reading with our children.  Reading to your children will create a lifetime love of learning.  The benefits of reading aloud to your child are immeasurable.  It is a great family activity to read special books together aloud.  Children will read more and more on their on as this habit is developed.

                                                The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,

            And all the sweet serenity of books.

                                  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

7) Great Food, Great Times.   You know me, the Joie de Vive is going to be in here somewhere.  Seriously, enjoy the good times with your children and family.  We Southerners love to celebrate love with good food.  I do love to make wonderful home cooked meals for my family and bring us all around the table together.  These are the times and great memories for which life is made.  And back at the pool. :) Love this.

Raising twin boys is a joy and a privilege.  We also love to read Dr. James Dobson's "Bringing Up Boys" which is so great.

Are you raising boys?  What are your secrets? 

Warmly,  Carolina Mama