God created us all differently. Men, and boys for that matter are very suseptible to thier sense of sight and what they allow to enter through that sense. Anyone remember that little bible ditty "Be Careful little eyes what you see..." There is a reason for that. We are raising sons in a world filled with a constant imagery. Images of scantily clad women selling everything from beer to toothpaste. Images of heroines in video games and comics wearing scarcely more than band-aids. If we are not careful we are teaching our sons that women and girls are to be objectified as objects, not as human beings. This is not what I want for my sons. One day I want my sons to have beautiful wives and amazing relationships, but I want them to appreciate those beautiful women and not objectify them. I want my sons to be gentlemen. I want them to appreciate the feminine body for what God made it for, which by the way is not to sell Budweiser products. I want to teach my sons that women are of amazing value and should be appreciated for all of their talents, not just for the fact that they can turn heads.
I also want my sons kept innocent. I overheard two 6th grade boys the other day talking about a girl that was "hot" and discussing the appropriations of her physique. Tell me please, what 12 year old has any business discussing these matters? I know I sound old fashioned, that is exactly my intent. I do not believe that we are moving towards the greater good in what we are teaching our sons and allowing them to be exposed to. Yes, I said allowing. We allow more in our homes than we realize. Men and boys will always be tempted with their eyes but we as mothers and fathers also need to be aware of what we are allowing when we provide them with games, movies and comics that may contain eye candy.
Let us then allow our boys to be boys. Let’s allow them to rough house, to get dirty, to learn to work hard, and play hard. But above all to still be children. Let’s teach them to hold open doors for all women. Let’s bring back the teachings of gentlemen that would stand when a lady entered a room, to not use any questionable language for fear of offense. Let us raise a generation of boys that a generation of girls will be thankful for. Let us raise the boys who will treat our generation of daughters as ladies, and expect them to be so. So, to my future daughter in laws, you are welcome, because I want to raise my sons to be respectful of you and to appreciate more than just your outer beauty.