Growing a Manly Man

Today we are visiting with our good friends the Cowdery’s in West Virginia. We love this family! Michael and I have watched their children grow up. They are like an unexpected extension of our own family. They live on a 60 acre farm surrounded by mountains. It’s beautiful here. I had anticipated spending this day pretty much just lounging on the couches catching up with  my friend and her daughters and we have been doing that. I anticipated the men would play video games which they did last night. I had not anticipated that my son would get a certain eduational lesson.

My friends husband is what you’d call a manly man. Today his brother-in-law came over in order to site and target shoot with a new gun. By gun I mean rifle. My husband and I do not own guns. It’s not really because we are anti-gun we just haven’t had a need for them in our life. So my little guy has never really had a concept of fire arms and what they are used for. It’s just not a part of our everyday vocabulary. That changed for him today. When he found out that the MEN were going out to target practice and shoot guns, he couldn’t get his winter gear on fast enough to get out there and join them. The mom in me got all nervous.
But after reading “Raising Real Men, Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys” by Hal and Melanie Young. I realize the importance of him learning proper gun usage, gun safety and the overall need to be taught by men how to grow up to be a man. It’s the growing up part of that that scares me!! I truly do want for him to grow up to be a Man who knows how to provide for and protect his family.

So off my little man went with the big men. He said, “I don’t want to shoot it, I just want to watch.” About an hour later he returns, excitedly wanting to tell me, “Mom, guess what? I shooted a gun!” He went on to tell me that that was fun, exciting and that he had “learnt to do it right.!” Ah, this so seems to be the year for unexpected learning! Congratulations my little man, another life lesson has been had on your journey to Manhood.