It is no surprise to anyone that has been around our family that Jude is a very sensitive and anxious boy. As a mom I know I have many jobs in our family; helping my husband raise our kids, keep the house clean, helping with homework, providing meals, earn an income, and so many more! One of the jobs that I am certain I will focus on as our sweet sensitive boy grows older is making sure we raise a strong and confident young man. Many thanks to Hefty® for sponsoring today’s discussion on raising strong young men.
I believe that most mothers have this goal for their child – strong and confident. These are qualities that help every child turn into a great adult. Now, as I said, Jude is not your typical boys’ boy. He is Jude; an amazingly smart, caring, empathetic boy with a ton of anxiety and sensitivity mixed into his every move! The way his brain works throughout the day is unreal. Not just because he is smart but because with every new move, activity or decision there is an internal checklist that he runs through. Due to his internal worrisome nature my job as a mother is to make sure we instill strength and confidence as we move through life.
Tips for Moms – Raising a Strong & Confident Young Man
Show your boys respect – Often parents forget that our children at humans, humans with brains of their own. As they grow older it is important that parents give respect to their children just as we ask for respect from them. Words only go so far, the actions that you give your boys will help shape the way they also return the respect to everyone. By showing your respect they will, more than likely, in turn show that respect to those around them as they grow.
Set and teach boundaries – Boundaries are so important at every age. Boundaries should begin at a young age; this includes time outs, house rules and discipline. Boundaries will be an ongoing teachable moment as you parent, which will hopefully result in a young adult to learn the rules and laws with respect.
Another piece of boundaries that you must remember to teach your young boys is setting their own boundaries. You do not have to do something you are not comfortable with. Know your limits, know your own values and morals. When we teach our kids to find and set their boundaries, they will become more confident as they grow.
Teach them self-worth – Going up is hard, no matter the personality. Children are challenged by how they live, what they wear, what they play with and what they own or don’t own. Over and over they are told they are not worth anything, maybe not to their face but by actions alone. Time to build those babies up! Knowing that they are important, and have individual gifts, characteristics and talents, will carry them much further in life than any items they may or may not own. Plus, the lessons that your child will receive from this teaching will stick with them forever.
Fear no more – Jude fears a lot. He thinks about every bad thing that could happen. I worry that this fear will hinder him in experiencing amazing opportunities as he grows older. We are working on focusing on all the positive and good in the world while still educating him on being safe in a world that can be scary. Teaching children to see the good in the world will help them be confident and strong in good and bad times in their lives.
Show love – Seems obvious for a parent to show love but honestly, think about the busy days you all live in. Do you take time to LOVE? Showing love to your child will help that child learn how to show love as well. Think of the butterfly affect – we need more love in our world!
Work, Work, Work – Yes, a strong young man needs to know how to work! Every child needs to know how to work and work hard. So many children are given everything through life without them having to actually work. This does not mean child labor but it does mean chores and helping the family with housework and other duties like cooking. Involve the kids, let them feel important and part of the family. They will love to see their hard work. In teaching this, your children will have a strong work ethic and confidence to work as they grow!
Teaching your children how to be strong and confident takes a strong mom! Parenting is rough at times and goodness we take on a lot of stress through the journey. Hefty® is celebrating strong moms by making it clear that just like Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags moms are also Ultra Strong in everything they do!
Maybe you have seen the promotions with WWE superstar John Cena circulating the internet and TV. We love Cena and I love that he is sharing his real life mother, Carol Cena. The pair agrees, mom knows best when it comes to ultra-strength and ultra-savings; Hefty® for the win!
So, why do I use Hefty®?
Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags have ARM & HAMMER™ patented odor neutralizer, which helps keep our home nice and fresh even with full trash cans! They have an active tear resistant technology for better puncture-resistance and also have a break resistant grip drawstring that prevents the bag from falling inside the can – goodness knows us strong moms need some strong trash bags! They also come in great fresh scents; including Clean Burst™, Tropical Paradise™, Lavender & Sweet Vanilla™, White Pine Breeze™, Crisp Orchard Apple™, Citrus Twist™, Pomegranate Mist™ and Scent Free! My favorite is the Citrus Twist! Even Hefty® knows their trash bags can handle us strong moms – 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back!!
While I am working on Raising a Strong and Confident Young Man, I am also focused on using Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags for all of our trash needs! Strong moms need to use the best and the strongest!
What are you tips on raising strong and confident children?
Looks and sounds like you are doing a wonderful job of raising your son to be a fine young man one day. Doing everything you mentioned is very important. I wouldn't be holding a snake, can't do snakes.
What a great mom you are! Kids need everything you mentioned, especially boundaries and structure, to help them become strong, confident adults.
I have boys in my house also and I want to make sure that they are strong confident and considerate of other people. You have some wonderful tips here and I follow almost all of them myself.
These are such important tips for raising a confident and strong son. I have 5 girls and one son. He is such an amazing young man, we have tried to raise him with these same thoughts as you. Your doing an amazing job for your son! Thank you for sharing.
I have two boys and I am so proud of them so far. I know they are going to do amazing things in life.
I love this post! It is so true in so many ways. I like to think of it as raising boys that grow up to be good men in this world and excellent partners.
Your little man is so adorable and I completely agree with your points. We are not raising boys, we are raising MEN.
This is such a sweet post. Sounds like you are doing a great job raising your son. I bet he grows up to be a good person.
I would be afraid that I would end up being too negative around my child. I would hope that he would grow up being able to ignore some of my "wisdom", lol.
As a boy mom I really connected with this post. I feel like this is also a great way to raise a strong and confident young woman as well.
I agree with you in all of these. I have a ten year old son and he is very outspoken and I find it effective when I listen to what he says and then give my opinion. Effective communication is a key.
This is a great post. I love all the tips and none of them are emasculating so they can grow into strong and confident young men.
This was a very lovely read and sounds like Jude is heading in the right direction with the awesome support you're giving him and continue to show him.
These are great tips for raising a strong, well-adjusted child. It sounds like you are giving him the exact support he needs to thrive.
These are all great tips that can be useful boys or girls! It's so great that you're giving him the love and support he needs!
I love everything you listed. Although I'm a girl, my parents raised me with a lot of these and it truly raised me with a large amount of confidence that ultimately made me very successful in everything I do.
great list for raising a strong, confident, and respectful boy (and girls can learn this too ; ) ) it's important as a parent to provide boundaries and to be a good role model to their children. Parents are the #1 people kids look up to, so we have to set good examples! thank you for spreading this lovely post to all as a learning tool and reminder!
These are some great tips. Loved each of them. You are right. It is every Mom's duty to make her son a strong and confident man. He should learn to respect and be understanding.
Very good tips. We have a daughter and two sons. My husband and I made sure they all grew up with confidence in themselves. Our belief was that we are not only raising these kids, but we are raising someone's future wife and future husbands.