Be a lover, not a fighter.

     Having a little boy is great. I love the dirt, bugs, and trucks.  But teaching a little boy to grow up and be a caring and loving man is another thing. I am very big on teaching my son to be compassionate. I want him to care about other people, as well as himself. For those of you who don't know the real meaning of Compassion is: sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.
     So teaching a little boy how to do that is a challenge. Most boys could care less about other people and their feelings.  But I've tried my hardest to teach my son how to do so. And I think I've done a pretty good job so far. I always say I want my son to grow up to be a gentleman. I don't want him to be an arrogant person who has no regards for other people. I want him to have goals, and accomplish them and to be strong willed, but not a sexist. Hopefully, along with teaching my son how to do these things he will be successful in life and respect women as long as he lives.

Here are some tips for raising little boys to be gentlemen:

• Show him love- Not just the love between you and him, show him how to love another person. Like your husband or boyfriend. If your son watches your husband/boyfriend treat you badly then obviously he's going to think that's how a man treats a woman. I know this isn't the most ideal of examples but it probably is the most important one.
• Pets-Now this is just another example. But honestly, a dog is a mans best friend. And if you have a dog, you know this. We have a little 5 pound  Yorkie, and while he is only 5 pounds he is a lot of dog. We got our dog when I was 5 months pregnant and it was one of the best $1500 we spent. (lol) My dog and my son are best friends and I know that my son truly cares about him as if he is a little brother. I always say that when little boys grow up with a dog, they're more caring people when they grow up because they've had to watch out for them and take care of them. It also teaches boys responsibility. Which they need to learn at a young age, in my opinion.
• Manners- another BIG thing. I am very tough on my son about his manners. Even at 2 years and 3 months he knows that he does not get something unless he says Please and Thank You. I always say that manners never go out of style. Especially for boys/men. Obviously he is a little boy still so I can only teach him so much right now but I will make sure of it that he has his manners and he behaves like a gentlemen should.
• Temper-Now I know that boys and men can have a temper, believe me, I know. Especially us Italians, But learning to control their temper is something they are going to have to learn. Along the way of them learning to control their temper, its your job as his mother to teach him a few things that go along with getting mad. You have to teach him and tell him that what hes feeling is okay. Everyone gets mad, but how you handle yourself in those situations will set you apart from others. In a good way of course. Make sure you let him know that when he gets mad it is not acceptable for him to hurt himself or others. He can not break things, especially if something doesn't belong to him.

      

Try these few tips and see if they help. I know from experience with my son that these tips and tricks work. I hope they can help some other moms. And don't forget, kids are sponges. What they see is what they become. BE A GOOD EXAMPLE AND ROLE MODEL FOR YOUR CHILD.