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

Oh What Joy - Raising Boys

Disclosure: This raising boys business is not for the faint of heart.



I'm a Boy Mom! Twin Boy Mom at that and what a joy to raise boys!

"Joy is not the absence of suffering, it is the presence of God."
– Unknown


It is a joy to raise these boys to become men. Men of God, men of integrity, men with character. it's a tall order. It can be a daunting task and yet God calls. Where He calls, He also equips!

There is a joy and yet it is not free of work, of training, of persistence, of toil and even tears.... Yet, it is complete with the active, fun, laughter and presence of God! Seen behind the eyes and smile of a young boy. I think that is one of my biggest joys as a mother of twin sons, is that it draws me daily - often throughout the day - into the presence of God with complete awareness like I did not know before raising my sons. With that presence of God comes a dependence upon God like I've never known.

Daily I realize with wonderment and awe, "God chose me to do this!" Sometimes I wonder if these two, my Tigers, are more than God, Mountain Man and I can handle! And then I realize the job God has for them to do may be larger than life, than Mountain Man and me, but God knows and may He lead.



My heart was truly blessed when one of the Pastors told us with a candid affinity, "Our children do not fly under the radar, and I'm okay with that! We really wouldn't want it any other way!"

It's a beautiful, busy and bold life! I'm thankful I get to live it, every minute!

Seriously, there are days when I wonder what God was thinking when He chose a little girl who loved to play in her two story doll house, cook in her EZ bake oven, loved Pink and playing Piano, to raise twin sons in the twenty-first century!

And then I remember the girl who loved camping down by the river banks where her Daddy would carry her to the river to rinse the sand off of her feet at night, loved to climb the big Oak tree, swing on the tire swing below and bike ride endlessly.



Raisin' Boys!



Fast forward to this day, married to my own Man of Character, Mountain Man, birth Twin Sons, establish a homeschool in the mix, I get to do this - all of this - all day every day!

Apparently God didn't want me getting any more distracted with lipstick, nail polish and good shopping than I do already, so He made it real clear - these boys, raise 'em right! Each day, we wake up anew, rededicate them to Him and aim to do just that!

Family

My Mama always said she hoped I'd get one just like me one day. I did! I got two just like me on the same day! And wouldn't have that any other way either!


Are you raisin' boys?

Warmly,