I know, as a female, how much emphasis there is put on us as girls from a young age to find "our prince" or "the man of our dreams". Fairy tales like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty lead all of us to believe we are princesses and that certain man will come to sweep us off our feet and rescue us into some beautiful life ahead. Now, I do feel that these stories can somehow build an unrealistic expectation of men and married life, but that's for another time ;).
But, really. Have you ever stopped to think about who Prince Charming's mom was?
This is my conclusion of my thoughts the last few weeks: There are millions of girls out there looking for their "prince" or "man of their dreams". Well, it's MY awesome and scary responsibility to raise men for three young ladies who are waiting for them. It's my job as a mom of boys to raise a loving, respectful, honest, and trustworthy man of God. A man who WILL be someone's dream.
I know that there are a few cases where a good man develops from a bad parenting/home situation, but for the most part, a good man is a direct reflection of how he is raised and what he is taught.
So, I've developed a list of things that I think are important for my sons to know and I'm writing this down as a challenge to myself to try my best to instill these qualities in them. There are obviously are more things to list, but I'm just sticking to 10 for now.
1) Love God above all else and trust Him as their Savior
2) Respect all women in his life. Me, grandmothers, aunt, teachers, classmates, his wife, and the list could go on and on.
3) Be unselfish. Go the extra mile to help others.
4) Be a good listener.
5) Be a good friend.
6) Stand up for what he believes in.
7) Be honest and trustworthy
8) Let his children know that his relationship with their mom comes first and love her unconditionally. BE the man of her dreams.
9) Be there for his kids. Don't let a job or any hobby become priority over spending time with them and teaching them.
10) Have a good work ethic.
As I sit here I'm thinking of all the ways my little men will be called upon to lead one day. They may be faced with a situation to take a stand against in school, even if it means being mocked for it. They will need to know how to be a leader in the classroom, in the workforce, in their homes, in their churches,etc. There are so many things that my men will be asked to do and my prayer is that they step up to these challenges with confidence. That they will accept Christ at a young age and use that relationship with Him to grow into the men God has called them to be. I only hope I don't do too much damage as a mom to hinder that!
Lord, help me to be the mom you need me to be and to have the wisdom to know how to raise these boys to be vessels used by You. That they will lead God-fearing lives and that the woman you have for them will see them as the man of her dreams. Amen.
