Ladies Around Town Are Extending Our Village
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This probably seems a trite matter to consume an entire blog post, but I think it's huge. All three of my sons love to hold the door open for people when we are out in town. Especially women and even more specifically, older women.
I love it. My hearts swells just a touch, every time one of them lags behind and I look back to see why, or when one races ahead to open the door for a mom with a carrier. I've not taught them this, and neither has their father, directly, but this is how they have seen him treat me, his mom, sister, my grandmother, my mom. And perhaps equally as important, the boys have seen the positive response of the aforementioned women each time the door was held open for them.
I get the strong, independent women vibe, truly. I can handle my own, without a man doing any of the heavy lifting, but I'd be lying if I didn't also admit how much I love when a man, be it one of my sons, a stranger in town, or my husband, shows that touch of gentle class. I want to thank whom ever was responsible for passing down manners that are so sadly lost on a generation of young men and women who scoff at the notion.
For these ladies, I want to thank you, not just for your smiles as my boys hold open the door, but also that you thank them for being such gentlemen. And those of you who take it a step further by praising them to me, saying what kind, helpful boys they are, thank you. I want to instill in them that a woman is of great value. Everyone is, and kindness across the board is what we strive for, but in a society hell bent on devaluing everything, I want to raise boys to be men who will one day, Lord willing, choose the company of a woman who appreciates such a show of masculinity. It's one thing for me to tell them how nice it is, but it's a whole other to have you ladies affirm their actions by your gratitude toward them directly.
So, thank you. Today you expanded our village just a smidge, and helped reinforce those behaviors that are hard to teach but very much worth displaying.
I love it. My hearts swells just a touch, every time one of them lags behind and I look back to see why, or when one races ahead to open the door for a mom with a carrier. I've not taught them this, and neither has their father, directly, but this is how they have seen him treat me, his mom, sister, my grandmother, my mom. And perhaps equally as important, the boys have seen the positive response of the aforementioned women each time the door was held open for them.
I get the strong, independent women vibe, truly. I can handle my own, without a man doing any of the heavy lifting, but I'd be lying if I didn't also admit how much I love when a man, be it one of my sons, a stranger in town, or my husband, shows that touch of gentle class. I want to thank whom ever was responsible for passing down manners that are so sadly lost on a generation of young men and women who scoff at the notion.
For these ladies, I want to thank you, not just for your smiles as my boys hold open the door, but also that you thank them for being such gentlemen. And those of you who take it a step further by praising them to me, saying what kind, helpful boys they are, thank you. I want to instill in them that a woman is of great value. Everyone is, and kindness across the board is what we strive for, but in a society hell bent on devaluing everything, I want to raise boys to be men who will one day, Lord willing, choose the company of a woman who appreciates such a show of masculinity. It's one thing for me to tell them how nice it is, but it's a whole other to have you ladies affirm their actions by your gratitude toward them directly.