10 Days of Raising Boys: Potential

9-year-old boys are, shall we say, odd creatures. Weird. Slightly off-kilter. And oft-annoying, no?

I'm well beyond goofy 9-year-old boy stuff with my older three, but I'm just around the corner from it with my bottom two. Already there are shades of it: today my 6-year-old was squawking like a duck in the back of the van and every time a sister would tell him to stop he would pause, smile and then squawk louder. Boys!

But a wise mother sees potential. She helps a young boy curb his lack of self-control by controlling him when she has to. "Put your hand on your mouth until you can gain control over your squawking". And she smiles a concealed smile after she reads her 15-year-old the riot act for throwing the creepy doll on the skylight because she recognizes the playful heart and creativity behind the shenanigans.​ 

Can you imagine my reaction when I glanced up and found that creepy doll staring down at me from up there?​ 

See the potential. It's there lurking in every goofy 3-year-old and weird 9-year--old and dreaming 13-year-old. It's the creativity and the vitality and the zest for life that reality so quickly strips from men who carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.​ See the potential and then be their biggest fan!

Find all of the other posts for this series here:​

Day One- Dream Big ​
Day Two- Don't Freak Out
Day Three- Let Them Fail
Day Four- ​Learn to Bite Your Tongue
Day Five- Help Them Find Heroes
Day Six- Teach Them to Show Up
Day Seven- Remember Their Frames