Here’s a scenario that will likely play out tonight in households everywhere.
Somewhere a parent will sit down with his or her son and jump into a long-winded monologue that forces the son to sit still and patiently listen. Over the course of that talk, the son’s eyes will glaze over, and the parent will repeatedly say, “Sit still and look at me while I’m talking to you.” When they’re done, the parent will feel compelled to ask, “Did you hear what I just said?” and the son will feel compelled to answer, “Umm, not really.”
The nursery rhyme says it all. Little boys are made of “snips and snails and puppy dogs tails.” That was written almost 200 years ago. We’ve always known that boys aren’t usually wired to sit still and to listen attentively for long periods of time. Boys have always wiggled and squirmed and fidgeted.
Yet, the scenario I described between parents and their sons will still play out tonight in households everywhere. A lot of parents, it seems, believe that boys and girls think the same way and respond to stimulus around them in the same ways.
In limited circumstances, boys and girls are more similar than not. But our guest on today’s and tomorrow’s programs, Dr. Gregory Jantz, a psychologist and the author of more than 20 books, says science and the Word of God both speak to very real distinctions between men and women, and boys and girls.
A boy’s brain really is different from a girl’s, which means our methods for parenting a son will be much more effective if we’ll adjust accordingly.
For example, Dr. Jantz says most boys thrive when they’re allowed to move around more frequently while they’re doing activities that require a lot of concentration and focus. So while your son is doing homework, let him fiddle with an object or engage with others in conversation. Breaking his focus into smaller chunks can help him better manage it.
I like parenting tips like that. Simple, but effective. Dr. Jantz will be sharing a lot more practical suggestions today and tomorrow on “Practical Advice for Raising Young Men.”
If you have a son, you won’t want to miss these programs. I’m confident you’ll walk away with new parenting tools that can transform how you interact with him and help you maneuver through his world in a way that will benefit both of you.
Listen on your local radio station, online, or download our free phone app. You can also pick up a copy of Dr. Jantz’ books Raising Boys by Design in our online bookstore.
