I remember those two weeks—those days I counted until I could take a pregnancy test. I remember laying in bed, late at night, praying for the baby God may or may not have blessed us with. I knew God cared for that life more than we could imagine. I remember praying for the health of the tiny new life, asking God to protect, praying for his future, praying for our future, and praying for strength to go forward whether the test was positive or negative.
Now, at 32 weeks, I’m counting down the weeks until I can cuddle God’s gift to use close in my arms. When we found out at an ultrasound that we were having a boy, it didn’t take long for me to get excited about all things boy.
Along with the joy, however, comes a strong sense of responsibility. I know we will make mistakes; how can we be good parents despite our humanity? What are the most important things to teach my son? What does the Bible say about young men and the character they should develop?
Honesty:
Honesty is very important to my husband. Theoretically, he knows the value of an honest heart. It is so important for us to be honest with God, ourselves, and others. God can always work with an honest heart, and others can trust an honest heart. Honesty is what makes a man “good,” in my opinion. I want our son to grow in honesty that he may become a good man of God.
Hard Work:
I’m not a man, but I know that a man who will work can respect himself. Others will respect him, too. Culturally and Biblically, hard work is valued. If my husband and I, as a team, can teach our son the value of hard work, I believe he will have a more fulfilling life.
Respect:
This is one that is very important to me. I want to train my son to always be respectful of others. Nothing puts a bitter taste in my mouth like a disrespectful young man/boy. The other side of respect is being respectable. Those who give respect will receive respect. As a mother, I would be proud to watch my son grow up to be respected by others.
Love Wisdom:
I can’t make a list of things I want to teach my son without remembering the wise words of Solomon imploring his son to love wisdom. He says it better than I could: “Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee…she shall be a crown to thy head.”
Generosity:
One thing I love about my husband is his generous heart. I think it is very endearing. Recently, I have also been overwhelmed with the generosity of my friends and family in helping me prepare for this little boy. I want even more to raise a generous son so that I, in some way, can give back to all those who have been so good to me.
Although this is not an exclusive list of the responsibilities I feel in raising a son, I believe if I can teach him these five things, I will not have failed.
But no one said it’s easy to teach a little boy things like honesty and respect!
Abundantly Blessed Mama 