Looking to build character into your son? Here are 3 Principles to help you get there.
These suggestions come from Trail Life USA.
First, Cultivate Relationships. Boys need men who understand the language of boyhood. Only when men dare to enter a boy’s world, enjoy them, communicate affection, and speak encouragement do they earn the right to speak truth and meaning into their lives.
Boys need men who remember the joy of racing matchbox cars through grass jungles in the backyard and waging nerf battles from furniture forts.
Next, Build Self-discipline. To grow in character and resilience, a boy needs a caring adult who can convey wisdom, provide a solid sense of boundaries, and impart a vision of who he can be. “Boys take great comfort in firm, fair, and consistent guidelines, and anticipated reward.”
And third, Grow Independence and Responsibility. A boy’s longing for independence and responsibility is a necessary God-given desire to enable him to develop into a mature man of character. From a young age, boys begin to naturally emulate their fathers. They need to enter a world of manhood and to know and be known by healthy men.
Trail life USA says If challenge and encouragement are not sufficient and developmentally appropriate, instead of becoming confident, resilient leaders of character, boys fall into one of the twin pitfalls of adolescence: anger or apathy.