{"id":70856,"date":"2025-03-06T09:57:51","date_gmt":"2025-03-06T14:57:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/?p=70856"},"modified":"2025-03-06T09:32:08","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T14:32:08","slug":"im-a-boymom-these-are-5-things-i-teach-my-sons-about-being-a-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.familytoday.com\/family\/im-a-boymom-these-are-5-things-i-teach-my-sons-about-being-a-man\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m a boymom. These are 5 things I teach my sons about being a man"},"content":{"rendered":"

Without fear of cancelation or professional retribution, and in the wake of the left\u2019s attempts to\u00a0shame masculinity, it\u2019s time to have a national conversation about what it means to be a man.<\/p>\n

In our recent collective acknowledgment of biological reality and a general return to common sense, we overwhelmingly agree that men should not win the Women of the Year award, enter women\u2019s facilities,\u00a0play\u00a0women\u2019s sports<\/a>, or place in women\u2019s beauty pageants. And in case anyone ever had a doubt, men cannot menstruate or become pregnant. What men cannot and should not do is abundantly clear, which begs the question, what should they do? Here\u2019s what I tell my three sons:<\/p>

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1. Do the Right Thing\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In May 2024, we watched the media coverage as young men from Pi Kappa Phi protected the American flag at the\u00a0University of North Carolina<\/a>\u00a0at Chapel Hill when lunatics tried to desecrate it. During those moments, I explained to my sons that those were real men who were protecting the flag, representing the principles that their father, uncle, grandfather, and great-grandfathers fought to uphold. Masculine men do the right thing, including making sacrifices for their country, even when doing so is unpopular and potentially dangerous.<\/p>\n

Before COVID<\/a>, I did not speak about politics in front of my sons, but took them to the polling station to show them that voting is an important civic responsibility. Leftist policies such as school closures, mask mandates, mandated pronouns, and confusing\u00a0lessons\u00a0on racial hierarchies brought politics directly to our nation\u2019s children in their schools.<\/p>

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2. Be a Team Player and Understand Leadership\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Masculine men are willing to go against the grain to stand by their principles and lead, not necessarily by issuing orders from the front, but also in supportive ways that bring out the best in others around them.<\/p>\n

Family is the ultimate team and fathers have a critically important leadership role. Television characters, such as Al Bundy,\u00a0Homer Simpson<\/a>, and Phil Dunphy, who portray fathers as stupid, immoral, and\/or worthless, have too long diminished men\u2019s role in the family. Sports teams provide teachable moments about leadership that boys can carry into fatherhood.<\/p>\n

3. Know How to Take a Punch<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sports teams, for example, teach boys how to take a punch, both literally and metaphorically. While observing my father and husband, two masculine men whom I deeply admire, I\u2019ve noted that being a man involves knowing how to deal with physical pain. When my sons get tackled on the\u00a0football field\u00a0<\/a>or hacked with a lacrosse stick, they are learning that staying clear-minded while in pain yields better outcomes.<\/p>

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I also tell my sons that when they take a metaphorical punch, which often happens in sports with devastating losses or poor performance in games, it\u2019s important to learn from it and then move on. My husband, who has coached many of their teams, often says, \"What does the best athlete have? A short memory.\"<\/p>\n

4. Make Money\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Men should be the best providers they can possibly be. When my former colleague\u2019s wife was expecting their\u00a0first child<\/a>, he asked a senior official during a lunch meeting if he had any advice for a young father. The man responded simply, \"Make money.\" I thought that was hilarious until having children of my own, at which point I realized he was quite serious and had given my colleague excellent fundamental advice.<\/p>\n

With this in mind, I tell my sons, \"You can be\u00a0anything<\/i>\u00a0you want to be, any kind of\u00a0engineer<\/i>\u00a0or\u00a0tradesman<\/i>\u00a0you choose to be.\" I am just joking. Kind of. Their future college education or training comes with the expectation that it will yield skills and knowledge that will enable them to earn money and be successful providers for their families.<\/p>

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5. Show Courtesy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Last but not least, follow the Golden Rule. Masculinity is about showing courtesy, not by placing a lame \"Be kind\" sign in the yard type of way, but genuinely. In daily habits or disputes, one rarely, if ever, regrets taking the high road. Being chivalrous by holding open doors, offering a jacket to a date, being respectful, and allowing women to walk into a restaurant or out of an elevator first are important aspects of masculinity that continue to be very much appreciated.<\/p>\n

Contrary to the underlying message from the\u00a0\"Barbie\"\u00a0movie, there is an essential role for masculine men in our society. Podcasters, such as Joe Rogan, understand the need for conversations about masculinity and the important role that men play in the family and in the nation, which is likely why they are so popular and why my sons enjoy listening to their content.<\/p>\n

In addition to all the issues I discuss with my sons about what being a man entails, there is little if anything that is as valuable as the example their father provides them. When I was pregnant with my first son, I planned to return to my job as a political analyst and speechwriter when he was three months old. While holding him in my arms just a few hours after he was born, plans changed. I swiftly informed my husband that he needed to find a way to earn more money to make up for my\u00a0lost salary<\/a>, so I could stay home with our children. Despite his initial shock at my maternal epiphanies, he did just that.<\/p>

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At that point, it became crystal clear to me that being a real man, in part, means understanding and doing what your family needs. In their father, my sons see a man who always puts his family first.<\/p>\n

This article first appeared on FoxNews.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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×<\/span><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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