Let's hear it for the boys.....

Hey y'all! I've been thinking a lot lately. Scary, huh? I've been reminiscing a lot, actually. Our kids are all older, the "baby" being 18. At this age, I suppose it's normal for me to glance back and see things I would've done differently, from this perspective. We live, we learn. We change, we grow. This posting will carry a little nostalgia. You've been warned.

As a young girl, in grade school, I had several little boys who befriended me. I was an only child for eleven and a half years, and my daddy's tag-along some of the time. I understood boy stuff. My daddy was a carpenter by trade, and at a young age, I thought he hung the moon. He would take me fishing, hunting, riding, and occasionally, even to work with him.

One thing, among many, I have never understood is macho-ism. Why is it unmanly for a boy to cry? Why is it unmanly for a boy to express fear? Why is it unmanly for a boy to play with dolls or stuffed animals? These things represent truth to me. Boys have emotions! They become sad, angry, disappointed, hurt, and fearful.

Dolls and stuffed animals help children get things out. They help them deal with junk. Kids will role play in pretending with their fluffed friends. Try this out. Do you have a child in your life that seems to have an unrealistic fear or some other feeling toward something and you just cannot pinpoint it or seem to work around it? Give them a stuffed animal or a doll. Have them tell you a story about that friend concerning whatever it is. It will be an eye opener for you and them. You can encourage that child to problem solve on behalf of the toy. They will. They will erase the issue, right then and there. In our humanity, most of us will champion for someone else, while living stuck, ourselves, for years, in the same crisis, not even realizing it.

Please don't limit children based on their gender. We are different. Those differences should be recognized and celebrated. However, they should not be used to ostracize. We need to teach all children nurturing, kindness, love, acceptance, and equality. We were all made in the image of God, all equal, all to be loved. Love.....one another.