It's August 1st, a definitive marker to note that summer will soon be over. Last night I had a chance to reflect upon the summer with my two sons. For the last couple of years, I have asked my sons to set summer goals--
1) to learn something new, 2) to improve in something they already know how to do, and 3) to complete a service project. I began encouraging them to do this years ago because I didn't want the summer to pass and have them realize that they had remained stagnant and had not grown in any way. Society expects men to know certain things--from fixing cars to repairing things around the house to knowing how to be a leader in many different contexts. But in raising my sons, I have learned firsthand that men don't just naturally learn these lessons--they must be taught through intentional efforts. So in the past couple of summers, my boys (men) have learned valuable lessons like how to fix a flat tire, how to repair a squeaky door, cook a meal, plant and maintain a garden, and how to set up a time to volunteer at a our local food pantry. These are small steps in our overall goal to prepare our sons to thrive in the world. I hope that my sons will one day (either now or later) stop to think about how their summer goals have contributed to the men that they are becoming.
1) to learn something new, 2) to improve in something they already know how to do, and 3) to complete a service project. I began encouraging them to do this years ago because I didn't want the summer to pass and have them realize that they had remained stagnant and had not grown in any way. Society expects men to know certain things--from fixing cars to repairing things around the house to knowing how to be a leader in many different contexts. But in raising my sons, I have learned firsthand that men don't just naturally learn these lessons--they must be taught through intentional efforts. So in the past couple of summers, my boys (men) have learned valuable lessons like how to fix a flat tire, how to repair a squeaky door, cook a meal, plant and maintain a garden, and how to set up a time to volunteer at a our local food pantry. These are small steps in our overall goal to prepare our sons to thrive in the world. I hope that my sons will one day (either now or later) stop to think about how their summer goals have contributed to the men that they are becoming.
RSS Feed
