Rules for My Sons

I have been wanting to write this post about parenthood for a long time.

It’s on the business of raising boys.

Diego and Miguel need more than me as an example of what it is to be a man. They need their father, their grandfather, uncles, and every other man that spends time with our family to be a positive role model for who they will grow up to be. Photo Credit: Sheila Catilo

I have two sons. I often worry about them adopting lesser values from their friends. I know the culture we live in and the peer pressure they deal with on a daily basis.

When my sons were small, my simple explanations on how to treat others, not speaking when their mouth is full, and keeping their hands to themselves sufficed. But we live in a world where they are exposed to other values. There are outside influences in the form of friends, snap chat, and perhaps even some family that we choose not to spend time with anymore, that may have worked their ways into how my boys will process decisions in life, and influence more than I bargained for.

Take for example if there is a boy who grows up seeing his father raise a hand to his mother. It doesn’t matter what he sees outside his home, because in the formative years, he saw that it was ok to hit a woman. These are cycles of abuse that will perpetuate IF some extreme circumstance does not take place.

These same cycles, perceptions, and values can influence our boys, even if they stand outside our home.

In fact, as our children grow older and spend more time outside the house, these outside influences may become more of an influence than we would want.

And this is NOT even taking into consideration the beast that is social media.

BUT, in this instance, social media inspired me to write this post!

Which is what brings me to what I wanted to share today…

I have this beautiful sorority sister, Keri. Keri is a miracle. She has been sharing a very difficult journey on Facebook for all of us to follow along, build our faith, and find the good in what began with some terrible news last year around this time.

I have laughed, cried, and prayed along side her and her family through the awesome power of Facebook. (Remember, I started this blog to try and find the good. I will always try and look for the good.)

Through her posts I have renewed my faith, strengthened my own resolve through what was a very difficult year, and I have had the gift of revisiting our sisterhood bond, again.

To be honest, I am not sure if she knows just how much of an impact she has made in my life, since she began sharing her story so candidly. I think even more than that, her story has helped me renew my faith in God, and in Jesus.

There is one more thing I have learned through her sharing her journey: We are all connected in this life through our stories.

But the stories of the last year do not make up the woman that I am, instead, some parts of my story have really ended up defining who I am now.

So I take the parts of my story and learn from each one…

The Good.

The Bad.

And the Ugly…

#TrueStory

So, Keri posted on Facebook just the other morning…

I’m pretty sure she copy and pasted it from another mom whom SHE is friends with on Facebook, and she spread some more goodness by including a picture of her cutie.

Rules For My Sons: (First Rule For My Sons- READ THE LIST.)

1. Never shake a man’s hand sitting down.
2. There are plenty of ways to enter a pool. The stairs ain’t one.
3. Breathing is exercise for the soul.
4. In a negotiation, never make the first offer.
5. Act like you’ve been there before. Especially in the end zone.
6. Request the late check-out.
7. When entrusted with a secret, keep it.
8. Hold your heroes to a higher standard.
9. Return a borrowed car with a full tank of gas.
10. Don’t fill up on bread. Eat vegetables and fruit instead.
11. When shaking hands, grip firmly and look him in the eye.
12. Don’t let a wishbone grow where a backbone should be.
13. If you need music on the beach, you’re missing the point.
14. Carry two handkerchiefs. The one in your back pocket is for you. The one in your breast pocket is for her.
15. You marry the girl, you marry her whole family.
16. Be like a duck. Remain calm on the surface and paddle like crazy underneath.
17. Experience the serenity of traveling alone.
18. Never be afraid to ask out the best looking girl in the room.
19. Never turn down a breath mint.
20. In a game of HORSE, sometimes a simple free throw will get ’em.
21. A sport coat is worth 1000 words.
22. Try writing your own eulogy. Never stop revising.
23. Thank a veteran. And then make it up to him.
24. If you want to know what makes you unique, sit for a caricature.
25. Eat lunch with the new kid.
26. After writing an angry email, read it carefully. Then delete it.
27. Ask your mom to play. She won’t let you win.
28. See it on the big screen.
29. Give credit. Take the blame.
30. Write down your dreams.
31. Believe in magic, then make magic happen.
32. Trust Jesus, walk in his light. 
33. Family first, no matter what.❤️< /span>34. Be KIND.< /span>35. Speak only the truth. Your word is your bond.< /span>36. When questioning what to do in any situation, think about whether or not you would do this in front of your parents. Chances are if you won’t, it’s not something you should do. < /span>37. Don’t be afraid to say sorry, shed a tear, or offer help when someone needs it.Keri added a few, and so did I.