Pride

Like most mothers, I am so proud of my sons. They have grown into caring and loving young men who work hard and and play hard. Our oldest son is a co-owner of a construction company and since Hurricane Florence he has reached out and helped many people in need. I am very proud of him. Our younger son works in a lab testing and analyzing air, water and soil. He is a hard worker with a social conscience. I am very proud of him.

Although, both of our kids have contributed to the greater good of society through their work and their volunteer activities, it is their individual caring and compassion they show each and every day that touches my heart. They are always there to lend a hand to family and friends, but also to complete strangers. They open doors, they carry packages and they share kind words. These random acts of kindness make them better men which certainly leads to a healthier society.

So where did they get these values and traits? Yes, I would like to believe that as parents and as citizens of the world, my husband and I instilled these attributes into them, but it would be vain to take such credit. I think it truly does take a village to help children grow into responsible and caring members of society. Our kids had wonderful teachers throughout their education, but especially in elementary school. They served as educators and role models to developing young lads. The boys also had great Sunday school teachers and youth group advisors. During those tough teenage years they participated in mission trips that took them to places where others were poor and abused. They learned much about privileges verses rights by seeing poverty first hand in the Appalachian Mountains and by working in a battered women’s shelter in Washington D.C. All the books and lessons on these topics could not teach them as much as seeing things first hand and participating in a small way to improving the lives of others. In addition, our older son was very active in Cub Scouts and gained a sense of duty, a set of skills and a value for team work. This is largely do to the outstanding Cub Scout leaders he had throughout those formative years. These women went far above and beyond the average curriculum to give the scouts amazing opportunities and experiences while helping them mature into young men. Our younger son had equally wonderful experiences through the Boy’s Brigrade where he established great habits for helping others and having fun doing it. Bravo to the awesome parents who led those Friday night meetings and those weekend field trips.

I think it is interesting to ponder that the word, pride, also refers to a family of lions. I can only imagine what makes a mother lioness proud of her cubs. I would venture to guess it is seeing them play nicely with the other cubs, follow what she instructs them to do, learn to hunt and find their own food, and eventually grow up so they can move out of the den and find love and happiness with their own pride. Hmm, sounds familiar……

Photo source: Pinterest