20 Things Every Boy Should Know
Growing up there were many things my parents “tried” to teach me. Things that were important and every little boy should know. They are not complicated life lessons but lessons that will serve a little boy as a stepping stone on their way to manhood.
Awhile ago, I made a list of 20 Things Every Father Should Know. I made the original list about things that a man needs to remember to be a good father (from a father’s position). As I have watched my little boy grow up, I realized that it was only fair that he needed a list of things to help him someday become a good man, husband and father.
I am not going to say that I have a definitive list of things that are right or wrong for a little boy to know. I know that anyone can make a list of things to help. These are just 20 items that helped me when I was little boy on my journey towards manhood.
20 Things Every Boy Should Know
Keeping clean is important
1. Cleaning up your act – You must take a bath or shower whether you think you need it or not! As the old saying goes, “cleanliness is next to godliness” and truthfully at some point you might want to have friends.
2. Respect matters – Respect your elders. Answer them directly with a polite tone. You should use certain words and phrases, “thank you“, “please“, “you’re welcome” and “excuse me.” Remember someday you will become an elder and want a young person to respect you.
3. Put it up – The chair, couch, coffee table, dining room table, bed and floor are not the proper places to keep your clothes. There will a be a time in your life that you will be 100% responsible for purchasing them and maintaining them.
Clothes are meant to be put up!
4. Own it – If you make a mistake, own up to it. You will probably still get in trouble, but it is more likely you will get in less trouble than by denying it.
5. The real world – Turn off the electronics sometimes. There is “real” life going on outside. Don’t miss out on discovering what the world is all about.
Try to keep the body odor to a minimum!
6. Deodorant is a must – You might not like it, but you will mature. Trust me with maturity comes body odor. You can start life right and use deodorant. You might even keep friends and make a few new ones.
7. Sharing is caring – Learn to share with others. It can give you a good feeling when you share with others, and you might make a new friend.
8. Fighting hurts – You might think it is the best solution to a problem, but ultimately you will bleed as much as the next person. It is easier to learn to talk to someone than to inflict pain on yourself.
9. Love is good – It’s okay to give your father and mother a hug and a kiss. People may tell you it’s not manly, but someday they will be gone, and you will look back and wish you had done it more.
Giving your little boy a kiss is never bad.
10. Wake up - Sleep in on Saturday morning but be ready to get up if necessary. As you are growing, you will need your sleep. Sometimes you will be asked to get up early on Saturdays to do fun things. Don’t miss the opportunities.
11. Ask – Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you don’t know how to do something, tell someone. The only questions that are stupid to ask are the one’s we are afraid to ask. It is better admitting that we don’t know everything, but are willing to learn how to do it.
Leaving doors open happens a lot when you have kids!
12. Close door policy – Close the door thoroughly when you enter or leave the house. You are not required to air condition or heat the outside world (besides it actually does not work).
13. School work – Do your homework! The things you learn in school might not seem pertinent, but you never know when something might be useful later in life.
14. Containers – It’s okay to eat the last item on a shelf but at least remove the empty container. It’s even better if you tell someone you ate the last item on the shelf so they might replace the item in a timely fashion.
15. Reading – Read because you want to not because you have to. Learning to love to read will help you increase your imagination. Reading gives you an opportunity to go on adventures to the moon, Africa or the center of the earth.
Reading Fun: No One Is Perfect and You are a Great Kid! by Kim Hix, A World Without Cirlces by Bethanie Campbell and So, What’s It Like Being A Cat by Karla Kuskin
16. Smile – Smiling is free. It never hurts to smile at another person, and you might make someone feel better (besides I guarantee your parents like your smile).
17. Power – Turn off the lights when you are not using them. You actually do not need every light in the house on. If you can remember to do this, you will not have your parents constantly reminding you to turn off the lights when you leave a room.
18. Laugh – Life does not always have to be taken seriously. You will become happier the sooner you learn to laugh at things in your life. You might even find you have an easier time at making the people around you happier.
Be different!
19. Peer pressure – Be unique and do not let your friends pressure you into things that you do not want to do. Guess what? If you know they are wrong, they are wrong!
20. Fruits and vegetables – Eat your fruits and vegetables. They will not hurt you, and someday your body might appreciate that you learned to love them when you were young.
By no means is this a complete list. What do you think of the list? Anything you would like to add? Anything you would like to take off of the list? Tell me in the comments!
Read my last post here The Value in Losing
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Tags: cleanliness is next to godliness, clothes, coffee table, dining room table, elders, good man, journey, manhood, mistake, parents, perspective, stepping stone
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yes, we do like it !!! Thansk Aaron
Kim,
I knew you would! I had to make sure you saw it so I send you a tweet to come check it out
Aaron Brinker aka DadBlunders
Aaron Brinker recently posted…Defining Dad Bloggers
Loved your post! It was shared on fb by Amanda. I have a 12 year old still learning these.
10,11,18,19 I could relate to the most.
Thanks for the insight.
Alma recently posted…The Making of a King
Alma,
Growing up for any child can be difficult. I think it’s all about having patient parents and a good sense of humor. Looking back on my own life I know I wish I had paid more attention to the things I had learned. I know if I had I would have gotten into a lot less trouble….yikes….#10 was always an issue for me…..sigh
Aaron Brinker aka DadBlunders
Aaron Brinker recently posted…Who Wants To Be A Cowboy?
Hey Aaron
This is a great list.
I’m always reminding my son that he needs to turn the PlayStation off or to get off the computer. He’s pretty good at living in the real world but I worry about him being on these things at the age of 5. Equally though I want him to experience them.
Tim Bonner recently posted…Could Your Google+ Button Use A Little Love?
Tim,
I thought it was only fair to write this piece as a companion article to my other one 20 Things Every Father Should Know. I felt someday my son my look back have some moments of clarity and think “Oh…dad was so right about those things….” Of course, that might not be for a long time but still I might get to say i was right….for once at least….
Aaron Brinker aka DadBlunders
Aaron Brinker recently posted…From Boyhood to Fatherhood
It was pretty spot on, great post. I would like to see something about more exercise on the list. I think a healthy body is very important to a boys growth into a man,
Robert,
Great point! I think it “kind” of went along with my #5 turn off the electronics and check out the real world but it definitely could be a category by itself. It’s the reason I said I by no means have a definitive list of things a boy needs to take them to manhood…I am sure i could get together with the dad bloggers and we could publish a book of 1001 and things our children need to take them to adulthood and beyond….this was just a good starting point….
mmmm….maybe I should get together with some of us and write a good e-book of 1001 things our kids needs to take them to adulthood….
Aaron Brinker aka DadBlunders
Aaron Brinker recently posted…5 Ways To Be A Child Again
This is a very cool list for all boys. Thanks!
Thanks!
I tried to encompass a lot of different things. I knew they were all actual events in my life that became life lessons for growing up too. It is not a definitive list but it is a definite good start….lol
Aaron Brinker recently posted…Blogging Basics – Am I A Writer?
Hi Aaron,
Woah, I actually thought there would be a few reflecting life lessons but I think these are life lessons as well. Simple manners that invariably affect our character and social life.
Nice points!
Aditya
Aditya recently posted…Do You Give Yourself a Second Chance?
Aditya,
I like to think they are just little things in life that make our life a life a little easier in the long run. They aren’t hard to do at all but they are things we usually only learn with age. I tried to keep them a little fun and a little humorous at the same time.
Aaron Brinker recently posted…From Boyhood to Fatherhood
I love this list! My son is an awesome kid, but now that he is a teenager, he desperately needs this list as a reminder! You should make this list printable and then sell copies of it-you would be a millionaire!
Jules recently posted…A Peek Into My Experience Scottsdale Weekend! #ScottsdaleAZ
Jules,
I had a lot of fun writing up this list. I am glad you enjoyed so much! I hadn’t thought about selling the list but it might be a future idea…
I felt I had to write this post to go along with the other post I wrote awhile back about fatherhood. You never know I might revisit both of them in the future and add on to the lists.
Aaron Brinker recently posted…The Value In Losing
This list is invaluable. Being an only son myself and having only one son (3 daughters), it’s important to convey everything you mentioned. Thanks for sharing!
Chris,
I just tried to cover the “basics” and focus and what I felt was important from when I was growing up. I know it can be difficult remembering all the pertinent details and there is no way I expect my son to get all of these things correct. My hope is someday he will look back and appreciate the list and say, “Hey…the old man was right….”
Aaron Brinker recently posted…Are Superheroes Part Of Childhood?
Yep, yep. I’ve recently started to really focus on keeping my patience with him. Focus on teaching him lessons instead of just telling him what he as done wrong. FYI. Just found this site recently, love the content!
Hi Aaron, These are great lessons in life, for anyone. They apply to girls too, except for personal hygiene. Girls are pretty good about that, maybe too good?
I like the part about fighting. That is especially important, whether it’s physical or not.
This is such a great article, Aaron. Well done.
Carolyn recently posted…Manilla – The Thrill of Organizing Your Accounts
Carolyn,
I would have replied to these a little sooner if my little boy hadn’t gotten sick (strep throat). Of course, he has to return the favor and give it to me.
I enjoyed writing this article. I hope someday when Xander is grown this particular piece will mean something. It was extremely self-reflective as I was writing it. I happen to think there is a lot of truth in it for many young people.
As far as girls go I have known a few that didn’t like to take a bath until the day they became “boy crazy.” It was a constant struggle for their parents. I think it’s just dependent on the individual child.
Aaron Brinker recently posted…Blogging Basics – Does Social Media Help?
A good list, indeed. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Stan Faryna recently posted…The Corsair: Whovian Fan Fiction
Stan,
I appreciate you taking the time to come by and check out the list. It was a lot of fun writing it. It’s always fun to look back and reflect on things you wish you had known when you were growing up.
Aaron Brinker recently posted…Blogging Basics – Does Social Media Help?
I’d suggest the need for 19A: while there’s nothing wrong with being your own person, being too different means you have a target on your back for bullying…and a kind of bullying like they didn’t even imagine in my day. Kids, unfortunately, need to be prepared for that, too.
Patrick recently posted…Sunday Seven #383
Patrick,
Good point! I guess that is why I mentioned if you know it’s wrong…don’t do it! Children live in a vastly different world than the one I grew up in. It is a lot faster paced and I think has a lot more pressure to be accepted than my generation. I work hard to try and teach my son that their is value in all people and things. Hopefully, he will be prepared to deal with the constant battles that he is about to become part of.
Aaron Brinker recently posted…Blogging Basics – Does Social Media Help?
A down-to-earth approach to fatherhood and possibly even parenthood, Aaron. I love this. Such a nice approach to instilling values in your son and explaining the reasons for those values. Light-hearted and nice!
Amanda Socci recently posted…Profile of Dr. Jessica Lynn Pereplyotchik and My Power to Overcome
Amanda,
Thank you!
I think that fatherhood is a privilege. It’s not something that should be treated lightly. I have seen to many fathers (and mothers) not want to participate in a child’s life. They never understand what they are missing until it’s to late.
I want people to understand the joys of parenting through all perspectives the humor, sorrow and joy. We have to be prepared to experience all the facades to enjoy it thoroughly.
Aaron Brinker recently posted…Blogging Basics – Does Social Media Help?
I live by these things, they are mostly common sense. I am sure that my son (one day) will follow these guidelines also as this is normal behavior.
You are correct that they are mostly common sense. As a former social worker, I can tell you that many children and parents do not understand or follow a lot of these guidelines.
I hope someday when my son is grown he will read this article. He might even look back on his life and say, “My old man knew a lot of stuff when I was little.”
After all, one thing that fatherhood is about is us trying to help our children and impart some wisdom along the way.
Aaron Brinker recently posted…From Boyhood to Fatherhood