WHAT BOYS NEED

When Michael and I were in counseling, I still remember something our counselor said to us. He told us that girls need to know that they are beautiful and adored by their fathers, and that boys need to feel like they've got what it takes. I agree with both of these, and I've kept it in the back of my mind while raising my boys. But just the other day, the concept was further reinforced.

Jasper adds more and more three word phrases to his vocabulary every week, but one of the early ones was, "I got it," or "I get it." A few days ago he was trying to do something independently and I was trying to help him, and he began to act frustrated, saying, "I got it! I got it!" over and over again. It suddenly reminded me of Bennett at that age, and I remembered that one of Bennett's earliest phrases was, "Got it!" and a whole lot of "Got the ball! Got the ball," since that's what he spent all of his time playing with.

I realized that both my boys have a natural desire to defend their ability to do things themselves, and to let me know that they can handle or take care of whatever is needed. And with both of them, this began at less that two years old.

They really do need to feel like they've got what it takes, like they can solve the problem, find the solution, work things out, and do it all successfully.

Later in life, they'll feel the need to provide and take care of their own families, the people they love. But for now, this mama is trying to make sure my boys know that they've "got it," while I've still got them :).