Traditionally, people think of fathers being the ones who teach their sons how to live their lives, and mothers being the role models for their daughters. However, fathers can teach their daughters a lot about life too, and mothers can be equally important role models for their little boys as their dads. If you’re lucky enough to be a mom blessed with sons, make sure they learn these lessons from you:
- It’s OK to show emotion and affection. Boys and men are taught early on that girls are the more emotional of the two sexes, and that boys are supposed to hold their feelings in and put on a strong front. However, while most girls will readily admit that they are more outwardly emotional, they will also tell you that they love when boys show emotion and affection as well. Show and tell your sons that it’s ok to give hugs, and it’s ok to let your emotions out every now and then. Putting on a brave face is great, but so is letting your emotions shine through.
- How to navigate around the kitchen. Little girls shouldn’t be the only ones who learn how to cook a decent meal; little boys need to gain some familiarity in the kitchen too. While you may be more inclined to pass along special recipes to your daughter, your son can get just as much out of learning them too. e’afrgafHe’s not always going to have his mom around to cook him dinner, so cherish the time you can spend teaching him to cook while you can, and rest easy that he’ll be able to put a meal on the table when you can’t.
- To appreciate women for their brains and personality. Both men and women are physical people by nature, and we are attracted to things we deem pretty. But beauty doesn’t just rest with a pretty face, and it’s important to teach your sons to look for intelligence, personality, and humor in a mate. You can do this by emulating those characteristics yourself, because you will always be the most beautiful woman to him.
- That empathy goes a long way. Encourage him to volunteer, to donate his time, and to serve others selflessly. Serve alongside him, and regularly talk to him about the importance of helping those less fortunate. Teaching him empathy for others is a characteristic that will serve him for a lifetime.
- To accept others, regardless of how different that may be. Don’t let him judge others on their differences. Instead encourage him to love everyone because of their differences. While you don’t have to befriend everyone, you can accept people for who they are, faults and all.
Mothers have the innate ability to add a gentle touch to their sons’ lives. While boys will likely always be the rough and tumble of the two sexes, there are certain things that they can learn from their mothers that will help soften them just a little, and thus live much richer lives.
Author Byline:
Kelsey is the editor in chief for www.findananny.net/. She loves to write article and ideas that parents & nannies would be interested in hearing. She helps society on giving information about nannies through nanny services. She is a professional writer & loves writing on anything.
True on all counts. It is the mother’s responsibility to teach the sons to respect women in general.
I agree, Janu! If not at home then where else?
I guess I qualify as a mother who has given just these lessons to her sons! 🙂
Cool :). I think I qualify similarly too.
Point 1 and Point 2 are totally bang on. Men do show some restraint while showing emotion and sometiems cooking. Sometimes they want to, but they dont want to as well. The topic of the post is very unique. Liked it!
Yep, hopefully my sons’ generation will be better off in that sense.
Wonderful Must Learns for Boys!
Expressing emotions is vital for emotional development and there is no harm in crying too.
Learning to cook a bit and helping around the home is a necessity now-a-days!
Thank you Shilpa! I think cooking is as important a skill for men as driving is for women. Kelsey’s post has really struck a chord with me.
And also to develop a hobby. Most of the guys I have met during college and work have been in an alarming state of vegetation with no hobbies whatsoever.
And hopefully moms can throw in some fitness fundas as well :).
Excellent post. Will book mark this and read it now and then to remind myself 🙂
Awww Thank you so much Bhagyashree!
Rachna, this becomes very important in today’s world for the boys to learn it all from the mom as it goes a long way, including, cooking , helping at home and in raising children when they have their own:)
I agree Rahul :).
Very insightful post. Yes, mothers are very important in a child’s early formative years. Only later does the father start having an impact.
Yes, Vikram. Boys always look up to dads but moms have a great emotional role to play in their lives.
My husband is at work more than home so I’m sure my kitchen influences and mood swings have”aught” my boys plenty:)
haha Good for you, Sandra :).
Hmmmmmmmmmmm os very true rachna, and I can bet if the boys learn all this from the moms they will turn out to be lovely human beings for sure 🙂
Bikram’s
:).
So true …and much required things for a mother to know, if they want their son to be a good person (which i guess every mother wants)!
True!
I agree with her and more with 1st and second point. That’s a very insightful post.
Thank you Saru! I think Kelsey makes a lot of sense.
MAAAAAAAAA….You are right.
Thank you BKC!
Beautiful advice! Sons do need to learn these all important lessons from mom.
Blessings!
Thank you so much Martha!
Rachna,
Very valid post. I second what you say. Thanks for the link, I will check that in a day or so.
Take care
Thanks Jack!
These are great pieces of advice! I love all of them, most especially number 3! Excellent post! ❤ 🙂
Thank you so much, Irene! I personally could relate a lot with the post.
I so loved this post, dear. I can almost relate to it myself having one. It’s so cute when he comes into the kitchen and asks to help me and learn. He likes stirring and flipping. He wants to cut too, but I don’t give him often. I was teaching and making him fold his clothes last night and he knows to do it, but is too lazy..:) Like Bhagya, I think I have to bookmark it too..:)
Latha, now you are a mom I am proud of. I am doing pretty much the same for my sons. My elder son has recently learnt how to make tea. I am still not letting him chop veggies, but he is very sure that he wants to learn all my recipes :). And, he helps me vacuum and dust around the house. His dad is also hands on with a lot of housework so that helps. With so many boys, I’ve to make them work :).
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Thank you for that. But that’s the only happy side of it. There is the evil side too..where I have to yell to get things done. And these days he says, mom, you don’t have to shout. You can tell me slowly. As if I am the one who gets pleasure in yelling and he is the one who does everything without telling him 🙂
Don’t worry about that. All of us moms yell. There is no other way around it. They sit with kaan mein tel and ignore us till we yell or threaten them :).
Both mother and father can impart priceless lessons to their offspring. You have chosen to showcase but a few beautiful ones. Great post!
thank you Umashankar! I agree with your point. But somehow moms are just believed to lavish love on their kids. I do hope that moms of my generation are molding better men of tomorrow who are hands on and complete in every sphere of their life.
true… its needs to taught at early age and boys can be better fathers with these tips ..I m sure abt that!
thank you Harman. Yes, the values must be inculcated from childhood as you pointed out.
Absolutely!
:).
Good one. I agree. Totally! Especially on the cooking idea. 🙂
hehe I think cooking is a great endearing skill for any man to have :).
Very true. If we can’t teach them all these things, who can…
Absolutely, if not us then no one else will.
Wonderful thoughts here, Rachna. If every woman follows these points, I think we would have better husbands/fathers/sons and lovers.
I should keep this post in mind always 😉
Joy always,
Susan
Thank you so much Susan. I think the onus is on moms of our generation to bring up sons with well-rounded personalities. I have two sons and I was happy to note that I am doing all these and also teaching them the value of physical fitness too. Personally, this post felt like it came from me. Kelsey really struck a chord with my own thoughts.
I just love this article and agree with every bit of it!! I hope I can be a role model of this type for my sons!
I am sure you will Roshni. I also could relate so much with the post and the thoughts behind it.
Very well put. Mothers by virtue of being primary caregivers have the advantage of influencing their children more with their own values. In that respect, they should press the advantage and teach all these things to their children, why only sons? In today’s world of changing stereotypes, they require similar lessons to be taught to them too.
Absolutely true, Zephyr! These are values that all children must have. I read somewhere that boys pick up their inclination towards physical fitness from their moms. In that sense, I am nudging them in the right direction :). I always maintain that cooking and driving are mandatory skills for all. It also helps to have a partner who is a role model to his sons by being hands on around the house just like hubby. But moms influence their sons a great deal because they are emotional anchors and sons do look up to them a lot. I know both my sons share so much more with me compared to their dad.
If I can say so myself, my son is all that and much more and it is acknowledged by all his friends and wife…
And, I am so proud of you Renu. Wish all moms be like you.
I try to do all this you know unconsciously. It is so important. I am glad someone has made notes on it 😀
Like you I am also trying to do these Ghazala! Thanks so much for liking the post.
i wish my mom was reading this .. she must be very proud of me !
very well written Rachna 🙂
Thank you Rahul. Actually Kelsey did a fine job of penning this post. And, I hope your mom does get to read this. Hats off to her and you!
Great article. This is useful for raising not just boys even little girls. Why, every kid must be brought up this way! The thing is, knowingly or unknowingly, we emulate the behaviour of adults we look up to. It’s all about setting the right example, isn’t it? 🙂
Absolutely, DC It is all about setting the right example.
What a lovely post Rachna. These things matter so much especially once the son is married and has a wife. He will be able to understand her much better cause his mother helped him to understand women right from when he was growing up.
So true, LP. And, when I see certain moms going crazy over their grown up son’s needs and treating them like babies, it makes me want to tear out my hair in frustration. These same sons then expect this kind of pampering from their poor wives.
Great advice, Kelsey. I’ve watched some Moms doing everything for their sons and said to myself, “Some poor girl has had it!”
And so many poor women are suffering.
I’m the first and only child of my mother, so she spent a lot of time on me when I was a child. I’m proud to say that she taught me all of those things, and I’ve always done my best to remember and practice them.
It’s important to respect others around you, especially women. So, I agree with you on all accounts. A very true post.
So proud of you Dave and your mom. I am hoping that I am doing the same for my sons. Thank you so much for connecting with the post and for visiting my space.
Both father n mother are equally important when it comes to implant qualities into their son to become a good human being….and off course there are certain which son can learn from mother n some from father…..
Nice post.
True Irfan! But in our traditional setup, moms used to hardly set out to teach their sons. They mostly ended up pampering them and taking care of all their needs. I think parents need to make their kids independent in thought and deed.
Very well said Rachna. Sons do have a lot of things to learn from their moms.
Thank you Jaish!
Lovely post, Rachna! Learning with mother is about learning how to feel less of a victim later in life—and that goes for both boys and girls!!:)
So true Panchali!
So true! If only all moms made it point to teach these things to their sons, the lives of so many girls will be better! Great post!
My world, my thoughts, my musings…
Moms have to be more conscious of their roles in their sons’ lives. Thank you for your lovely comment.
Loved to read it,remembers me my mom and brother
Thank you Kala.
lemme join the chorus…good post indeed
thank you Ramesh!
I have read that in lives of many great men who have been successful in their fields be it art,literary,medicine militia or politics,their attributing success to their mom who in the initial years have neen their strong influence.
All the points are un exceptionable.A good post
Thank you KP Sir.
A much needed post 🙂 , Rachna, posts like these are refreshing in the coaxing cliched society we live in. Times are changing though, and glad they are!
I agree Poonam. Thank you for liking the post.
How did I miss this post? It is so very inspiring and speaks to me about all of the things that I want to teach William. I so agree that a mother’s influence is also so important. We must try to teach our sons to grow into good, kind, and strong men…the world needs more of them. 🙂
You said everything there is to say :). Thank you for liking the post, Colleen.