Dear Parents of Boys

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Dear Parents of Boys - Columbia SC Moms BlogDear Parents of Boys,

My husband and I are raising two daughters. They are beautiful, smart, sweet, strong, and independent. And soon enough your boys will be interacting with our girls. We’re trying our best to raise these two little princesses to stand on their own, to be fearless warriors. We want to give them every opportunity to take on this world and succeed in their endeavors.

We know raising boys can’t be easy. Society constantly has you fighting between “boys will be boys” and “it’s okay to cry.” Right now, you’re worried about them getting hurt trying to do belly flops from the dinning room table to the pile of pillows they’ve arranged for their landing. You’re worried about them swinging recklessly from the highest tree limb they can get to. You’re worried about them being “nice” to the girls while they wrestle with other boys.

While you worry about all these things and more, I’m worried about the interactions your boys will have with my girls in the future. Looking at the world around us, where males are having sex with unconscious females behind dumpsters and only serving 3 months in prison – I’m scared. It is not safe. And I say this as a female who was taken advantage of and had to overcome trauma at the hands of men who did not respect women.

It’s time we make a change. We are raising the next generation. We are raising the children that could impact our future in a positive way. So I ask you, please, teach your boys that a girls body belongs to her, and only her. Teach them that there is so much more to a female than her body.

Together, let’s teach our children they are equal in a world of division. Let’s teach our kids one decision can drastically change the course of another’s life. Our children deserve to grow up in a society that doesn’t require a person to carry mace or consider a different outfit because the one they chose conveyed “they were asking for it.”

I’m currently watching my daughters play with a neighborhood boy and they are having the best time laughing and joking. It’s scary to imagine in a few years my girls may have to worry about his intentions. But, parents of boys, if we can stand together, maybe she won’t have to. Maybe, given the right tools, the daughters and sons of this generation can work together without fears, worry, or disrespect.

Please understand, I don’t know how your boys will turn out. I don’t even know what my girls will be like years from now. All we can do as parents is hope for the best. But, we can’t expect the best if we don’t give them the tools. It’s going to require work on both our parts. Society won’t change just because we desire it to.

As parents, it’s our job to teach our children it is possible to change the world around us – for the better.  We play a pivotal role in our children’s futures – what we do at home, what they see outside the home, people they interact with, what they see in the media, what they hear on the school bus – it all plays a role.

The more we teach our children about what is appropriate and inappropriate, as well as boundaries and lines not to cross, the more equipped they will be to handle what life throws their way.

So what do you think? Can we make it happen? Would it be okay for us to work together to change the culture of our society to give both our children a chance at success?

Sincerely,

A Mom Looking to Change Society

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Jenelle Temple
Passionate in all things in her life, Jenelle learned many lessons on the road to finding herself. The beginning of her journey began when she met her husband, Alan. He swept her off her feet giving her the wings she needed to fly. To this day, Alan is supportive of all the crazy ideas that creep into her head. Whether it is to compete in Obstacle Course Races (most weekends during the summer, you can find Jenelle, Alan and kiddies climbing walls, jumping over fire, crawling through barbed wire, and flipping tires in the muddiest of places), completely overhauling the family’s diet to fresh healthy foods (clean processed foods have taken over their lives, assisting them in losing a combined 130 lbs in the course of a year and allowing them to be in the best shape of their lives), or deciding to up and move the family 10 hours away to Lexington, South Carolina. Born and raised in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, Jenelle grew up in an area where everyone knew her family name (this was especially enjoyable as a teenager – note the sarcasm). She graduated from the local university, East Stroudsburg University, Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Psychology. She was a stay-at-home mom of two beautifully silly daughters, Riley (6) and Emma (4) when it was decided to move to South Carolina. It was a big change. Jenelle went from “knowing everyone” to knowing essentially no one. Every day is a new experience, new journey, learning to meet people, and learning to take herself out of her comfort zone even at the risk of being completely awkward.

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