Raising a Wolf - 3 skills I’m teaching my son.
While we all have different ways of parenting, the end outcome for us as parents is usually universal,
At the end of the day, our job is to prepare our kids for the big, wide world, shaping our children into capable, resilient individuals.
The success of this guidance, in its various forms, is cultivated through everyday behaviours and lessons that we are teaching our kids.
I don’t profess to know everything about parenting, but I am very proud of the young man our boy Wolf is becoming as we guide him toward the unknown.
I am also blessed with an amazing wife who also inherits similar values, I totally hit the lottery there, so it has become a lot easier to present a united front!
Here are some of the lessons we are instilling into Wolf’s life.
Drawing on his Emotional Intelligence:
We discuss his emotions openly. We share our own feelings and encourage our son to express his. This practice helps him develop self-awareness and empathy.
We ask questions like, "are you having feelings?" or "how did you make that feel?" , and probably the other key action here is to ‘get on their level’. Literally. Males tend to converse while side by side, and on an even playing ground.
Forge Responsibility and Accountability:
Assigning age-appropriate chores and holding him accountable. He has a morning list and an evening list. We explain the importance of completing tasks and the impact of reliability on the family's well-being. We try to forge a sense of responsibility and accountability.
Build Resilience:
Wolf has been enrolled in both Rugby and jiu-jitsu, in both sports, victories and losses are part of the game.
When facing defeat, we discuss the experience openly, applying a positive light highlighting the lessons learned from setbacks and encouraging him to apply these lessons in other aspects of life.
We are teaching Respect, manners and being a great human.
Teach them to be the biggest Cheerleaders -Teach them to support team mates, to pump them up,
Mould them into a Gentleman - Remind them to shake hands, and make eye contact while doing so, and never shake a man’s hand sitting down.
Respect for your Parents - Mum is your Queen, defend her at all costs.
Be honest with your parents - Allow your son an opportunity to tell the truth without consequence
In conclusion, how we guide our sons in the early years will set them up decades into their future. Accept that you will still mess them up in some way, whether you like it or not, but go easy on yourself as a dad.
You, showing up is the strongest value you could ever instil in your son.
