By Mario Leal -
Reaching manhood and being a father means more than providing all of the physical needs in life, there’s also the responsibility to teach sons important life lessons that will help them become better men and even reinforce the lessons in your life as well.
In order to prepare your son for manhood and give him the knowledge that will help him through many common situations in life, consider the top 10 things that all men should teach their sons:
Self-discipline
Whether it’s for education, fitness or work, discipline is one of the most important lessons to teach sons for being successful in manhood. Knowing how to work hard, motivate themselves regardless of their situation and having the willpower to push through tough situations will greatly help them become strong and inspiring men.
Confidence
A solid handshake and confident personality is one of the very definitions of manhood. Having confidence is simply a way to show yourself and others that you are a strong and capable person who can handle most any problem or task that may come your way. Many great leaders in business or politics have confidence because it’s what most people need in order to lead others.
Responsibility
One of the great lessons in manhood is taking responsibility for yourself and your actions. This will not only reinforce your self-respect but also gain respect from others as well. Being responsible for every choice and action builds character and builds an image of trustworthiness for others.
Independence
One of the markers for reaching manhood is being able to do things on your own. Teaching sons early what it’s like to be independent will help them become strong and resourceful men. Learning through experience and trying things on their own will also build character and provide them with real world knowledge that can help them in every avenue of life.
Humility
Just as confidence is important in manhood, so is humility. A good balance between the two creates a strong leader who can succeed in many ways in life. Confidence alone will not build good relationships with people but by combining humility, people will naturally gravitate to you.
Manners
Just as every child is taught the importance of manners, they must continue on through manhood as well. Manners are important in every situation, whether it’s in business or even casual affairs. They define people in terms of their class and sophistication, but also in the way a person shows others respect.
Respect
Reaching manhood means earning respect from others for having the qualities that deserve it. Respect is honoring someone for the good qualities they have and showing them their importance in life. Teaching sons to respect others while also demanding respect from their actions and manly qualities is a way to help them grow up to be well-rounded individuals.
Sensitivity
Although some may think sensitivity is a weakness for men, it’s a quality that every man should have. It’s a way of showing compassion and taking a softer approach to situations that require it. It’s a quality that all greatly loved leaders have, which is why so many respect and follow them.
Honesty
An honest person is one who is comfortable with themselves and has confidence in their actions. An honest man has an honorable manhood, which is something that every man should consider to succeed in life.
Finesse
One of the top qualities that all men should have is finesse. It involves having the proper skills to handle difficult situations in a careful and calculated way. A successful man will always have some level of finesse to help him through the times in life that may seem difficult.
While not all of these skills are easily taught, the best way is to teach by example and reinforce actions with important lessons. With these ten important lessons, your sons will be prepared for manhood and the experiences that come along with it.
Mario Leal writes about various topics including the characteristics of a leader. If you’d like to know more about qualities of a leader, please visit that link.
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It would be a better world if every man would teach their sons this things!
Those are great. Only one thing for moms to tell their daughters. Don’t be a stupid whore.
These are the qualities people should learn, but doesn’t give any advice on how they should be taught. You may as well say, “The #1 thing a man should teach his son: to be a good person.”
I certainly hope mothers are teaching their daughters this lesson. But think about it. Do you men really want this to happen? If 100% of the girls learned this lesson, where would some of you go? Just a thought.
First off, in response to Michael: See the entries under “Respect”, “Sensitivity” and “Finesse” before referring to women as whores.
I think all kids growing up need to be taught these truths – and all grownups should have a refresher course. Too often, we resort to bitter, angry name calling and we snap at the tiniest things that set us off. We have no consideration for anyone around us, and everything is me, me, me! Be honest…when was the last time you went out of your way for someone else? When was the last time you had an opportunity to go out of your way for someone, and you didn’t. When was the last time you DID?
This world is going to Hell in a hand-basket and we need to stop NOW and evaluate how we’re going to change things. Then we actually need to DO those things. But it all starts with you…
Mario Leal hits the nail on the head with this post. Sadly, not only are fathers not mirroring these all important characteristics before their sons but more frequently the case is that fathers are missing from the home and are not there to teach their sons anything at all!
Speaking of responsibility, and the people that say men have often been derelict in their parental duties, how are women and society not also to blame for this development? When talking about femalesl we are so quick to pity her for the \obstacles women face\ or claim this \male centric society\ (hardly the case) as some scapegoat for her actions. She’s always the victim, but somehow are not?
Masculinity has been under attack for quite some time now. I encourage the progress of women in this country, but not at the expense of boys and men. You don’t level the playing field by purposely knocking down one side. We have institutionalized misandry; something I did not realize till going off to college.
Expect more of us and men and boys will deliver. All we see these days are programs for girls, why have we chosen to forget one half of the population?
All wonderful traits for a man to pass on to his son. I love the last one – finesse – a wonderful way to describe getting through difficult situations.