I look forward to future blogs, parent chats and conversations about boys and girls. For now, I would like to provide some resources for parents of boys.
Did you know that boys’ bodies start injecting them with testosterone by the 8th week after conception? Did you know that boys have up to 20 times more testosterone than girls and experience six to seven surges a day? That’s my excuse, anyway, for why I had to get out of my chair 100x a day, and why I drove my mom and teachers crazy!
It is possible for schools to be led and taught by females who will never be able to truly know what it’s like to be a boy. And it’s easy to compare boy behavior to girl behavior. But that is not fair! They are different. Beautifully and wonderfully different. If we are not intentional (we being parents and teachers), we can expect boys to sit still and learn all day (been there done that!). And do not even get me started on taking recess away from boys as a discipline!
At CBA we often talk about how to incorporate movement during the day, especially through our collaborative, project-based learning approach. However, there are days where my nine-year-old old wakes up, and I just know he is going to drive everyone crazy. So what do we do? We give a gift to his teachers (and peers). What is that gift? We make him exercise before school. Depending on the day, it could be wall squats and pushups, running stairs, jumping on the trampoline, or running to school (one mile on sidewalks!). He actually will thrive more if we can get the heeby-jeebies out before school starts.
Recently, I have noticed some other CBA boys running on the Danny Jones Track before school. I would love to see the day when parents have all of our boys running on the track before the school day! In fact, I asked the parents of those two boys about it, and this is what they had to say:
“He really looks forward to track and his soccer practices as well. He’s sleeping better this week and his attention and attitude both seem better. He definitely likes having a schedule and was disappointed we missed the track time on Tuesday.”
Parent 1“It’s almost like burning that energy powers him up to burn more energy – mentally and physically.”
Parent 2
I have learned a lot from authors like Leonard Sax (Boys Adrift) and James Dobson (Bringing up Boys). One common thread you will hear about boys is to avoid video games and put them into organized sports. It does not matter if they are athletic, they just need to move and enjoy the camaraderie. Side note, it pains my heart how many men do not have any deep friendships with other men. I want these boys to learn early how to do physical exertion while learning teamwork and friendship. And it’s never too late to start (moms please encourage CBA dads to join me on Saturday mornings for push-ups, pull-ups and prayer ups!)!
For now, I would like to point you to some podcasts that you can listen to in your car. While we might not agree with everything, both my wife and I love how practical Dr. Thomas’ (and team’s) advice is. Enjoy!
Episode 5 | What They Need at Stage 2 of Development
Episode 7 | What They Need at Stage 3 of Development
S4, E4: What Kids Need Right Now
