subject: Raising Boys Can Be Challenging and Exhausting! [print this page] Raising Boys Can Be Challenging and Exhausting!
Raising boys can be challenging. You love your boy even though he may drive you crazy at times! Here is some parenting advice that works for him, works for your family, and most of all, works for you.
After all, as a wise mom once said, Youre not raising a little boy, you are raising a man. And the world needs you to do that well!
8 Tips to Help Him Be His Best at Home:
- Celebrate! Celebrate what is going well! We often tend to shine the light on the places where were frustrated: that messy room, the crumbs on the floor. Celebrate whats going well.
- Tell people what is going well! And youll be sure to get more of it. Let your boy over hear you. Let him hear, second-hand, what youre happy about. Youll get more of it.
- Pack away the valuables. Your boy is active inside the house and out. Look at your house with a critical eye, where are the places and what are the things that bother you? Are you worrying about things getting broken? Put some of the clutter away.
- Boys need space. Clear, uncluttered space to play and they need more physical space to play than girls.
- Boys are easily overwhelmed by visual clutter. Take a look at your boys room: how much stuff is hanging from the ceiling? Old posters plastered on the walls? Shelves overflowing with toys and books? Put stuff in a basket or a bin, out of sight.
- Boys need to be physical inside the house and out! A mini trampoline, a chin-up bar, or a trapeze in his room will give him acceptable outlets to be physical. Hay bales outside are great for jumping off, stacking and making forts.
- Chores. He needs to have meaningful work. He needs to know that his work matters, that his work adds to the family. I like to tell parents: youve got to be a little bit lazy! Teach him how to do dishes, laundry, and cleaning. Show him how important his work is to the family.
- Your self-care. You can only parent at your best when you are taking care of yourself. Doesnt your child deserve to have you be well rested? Taking the time for self-care is modeling it for your children so that when they grow up to be parents, it will be part of what youve taught them and modeled for them.
