Little Lion Man

At the end of the school year last spring, my then 4^th grade son had the “talk” in school. I was a little verklempt about it, since its another sign he is growing up (way too fast by my standards, but its for the greater good). When the Big Man and I asked him that night over dinner what he learned, his response was that he will need to shower more and wear deodorant.

 

The very real reality, is there is a lot more to life as a tween or teen, and it isn’t just showering. I wish it was that simple.

 

The changes blowing in the wind have led to some pretty amazing conversations with my son, and its making me grateful to have such a close relationship with him. I love watching how he is negotiating this brave new world for him. He’s growing taller, his baby face has thinned out to more angular features. He’s developing his own likes and dislikes, and is definitely showing his own personality.

 

Its also a crucial time in his social development. Fairly recently, a mom posted an article on why her sons will un-friend girls on Facebook if they were scantily clad or enticing her boys. I was stunned at her behavior, blaming the girls for being a bad influence on her sons. Basically, she’s giving her boys a free pass to participate in lewd and lascivious behavior.

That is not how we are raising our son.

 

I’ve talked to him about some of the images presented in the media, and their effect on him. For example, we were at the mall and walked past Victoria’s Secret. He mentioned that there were mannequins in bikinis (bless his naiveté). We talked about what he thought about that, being in the mall. He said it made him uncomfortable, and when I pressed him further he said that it belonged at the pool. That opened the door for other discussions on the female image in the media (once a feminist, always a feminist). He’s not quite at the right age yet to go more in depth on objectification of women and the dumbing down of society.

 

Raising a young man today is hard, with all the messages society is pushing on us. I hope that we are instilling strong values-including respect, compassion and kindness-that will make up his moral core.