Last week, as part of a larger treat, we all went fishing. Now I love to fish. HH loves to fish. The kids are learning to love to fish. Carefree loves the challenge and the fact that it 'seems' like such a 'boy' thing to do rather than the many 'girlie' type activities we find ourselves in.
We had no bait. While awaiting other members of our group to arrive with the earth worms, the kiddos decided to find their own bait. It was fun to watch. They found snails, tree frogs, grasshoppers and other small bait-like insects....even a large toad!
I witnessed a great moment with the two boys. They huddled around a large sitting rock and with a snail in one hand and seizing all their energy, they would slam that shell onto the rock, hoping for that slippery little snail to be uncovered, to use on their freshly hooked line. When success was achieved, they absolutely had no qualms about picking up that slimy piece of bait and proudly showing all those around their hard work and success.
In our day and times, we tend to over protect our boys. "Don't touch that. Don't get dirty. Don't see what's inside that bug/frog/animal." etc etc. I honestly think, it's in the nature of boys to want to know how something works. They want to tear it apart, see all its parts, and yes, try and put it back together. It's a challenge, a conquest, a goal. And that's just what they should do. As men, as husbands, they need those skills, they need to be able to have confidence in their own abilities, and that must come from years and years of exploration, experiments, building and the like. It's in their DNA.
There's a purpose to it. I believe that. There are some things that God gives to boys and then there are some things that are just for girls. To combat some of the feminist tendencies that we see these days....we must allow for those God-given gifts to shine, to be explored and built upon. It's so that one day, my two boys will know what it is to be a man. They'll have had a lifetime of experience, exploration and discovery, and will use all these times, all these adventures in the great outdoors to live out their particular vocation with true sincerity. They won't be afraid. They'll want to conquer. They won't mind getting dirty. They'll want to finish the job they started. They won't hide, they'll find solutions. Men need these skills and they can be developed early and often.
This is why Dads have such a vital role in a boy's life. I, as the Mom, certainly don't like to bait my hook, and I definitely didn't touch those snails they unearthed. My face would grimace, I'd say 'good job, but take it elsewhere.' I'd rather not see it. It turns my stomach. Dads are the ones who encourage the adventure, and celebrate the success, who take that snail, bait the hook and toss that line out for Carefree to fish with. Carefree can witness his Dad being fearless, courageous, even handle dirty, slimy insect guts for a fishing expedition. He can see what it takes to be a man, to be the hero, to be what God needs him to be.
Dads like to let boys be boys and know there's purpose behind it. Moms must fight the urge to shelter them and protect them....we must allow the boys to be boys....or else they'll be a little too much like girls.
While we didn't catch anything that day, we did get to enjoy my very favorite aspects of the sport: the calm water, the warm breeze, the gentle sway of the branches above us and so forth. I admit, catching a fish or two would have been great. But watching Carefree and Babe just be the boys that God made them to be, was just as enjoyable, if not more than actually catching fish.
We had no bait. While awaiting other members of our group to arrive with the earth worms, the kiddos decided to find their own bait. It was fun to watch. They found snails, tree frogs, grasshoppers and other small bait-like insects....even a large toad!I witnessed a great moment with the two boys. They huddled around a large sitting rock and with a snail in one hand and seizing all their energy, they would slam that shell onto the rock, hoping for that slippery little snail to be uncovered, to use on their freshly hooked line. When success was achieved, they absolutely had no qualms about picking up that slimy piece of bait and proudly showing all those around their hard work and success.
In our day and times, we tend to over protect our boys. "Don't touch that. Don't get dirty. Don't see what's inside that bug/frog/animal." etc etc. I honestly think, it's in the nature of boys to want to know how something works. They want to tear it apart, see all its parts, and yes, try and put it back together. It's a challenge, a conquest, a goal. And that's just what they should do. As men, as husbands, they need those skills, they need to be able to have confidence in their own abilities, and that must come from years and years of exploration, experiments, building and the like. It's in their DNA.
There's a purpose to it. I believe that. There are some things that God gives to boys and then there are some things that are just for girls. To combat some of the feminist tendencies that we see these days....we must allow for those God-given gifts to shine, to be explored and built upon. It's so that one day, my two boys will know what it is to be a man. They'll have had a lifetime of experience, exploration and discovery, and will use all these times, all these adventures in the great outdoors to live out their particular vocation with true sincerity. They won't be afraid. They'll want to conquer. They won't mind getting dirty. They'll want to finish the job they started. They won't hide, they'll find solutions. Men need these skills and they can be developed early and often.
This is why Dads have such a vital role in a boy's life. I, as the Mom, certainly don't like to bait my hook, and I definitely didn't touch those snails they unearthed. My face would grimace, I'd say 'good job, but take it elsewhere.' I'd rather not see it. It turns my stomach. Dads are the ones who encourage the adventure, and celebrate the success, who take that snail, bait the hook and toss that line out for Carefree to fish with. Carefree can witness his Dad being fearless, courageous, even handle dirty, slimy insect guts for a fishing expedition. He can see what it takes to be a man, to be the hero, to be what God needs him to be.
Dads like to let boys be boys and know there's purpose behind it. Moms must fight the urge to shelter them and protect them....we must allow the boys to be boys....or else they'll be a little too much like girls.
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