“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” ~Proverbs 22: 6
For some, it may sound a little archaic and King James-y when you put it like that, but a dad named Brad Kearns is bringing Proverbs 22:6 to 2016 in a practical way that could truly revolutionize the way you think about raising your child.
On his DadMum Facebook page, Brad shared this charming photo of his 3-year-old son along with a powerful message to fathers about raising their boys to treat women right—by showing, not just telling.
It reads:
He’s starting to copy me when I do things. He loves his daddy, he wants to be like me.
When I tickle his mum, he tickles her too.
When I wink at her, he winks too.
When I blow raspberries, he blows raspberries too.
When I wrestle her, he does too.
Once I playfully smacked her on the bum. He smacked her on the bum too.He watches when I touch her. He listens when I speak to her. He treats her how I treat her. If I respect her, he will respect her. It’s a huge responsibility I can’t ever [screw] up.
We need to teach our boys how to treat women from day one.
Facebook/DadMum
It’s easy to assume that our adult actions go unnoticed and that a 3-year-old couldn’t possibly be picking up on our habits, but little ones are more in tune to detail and nuance than we often realize.
And though his post focused specifically on raising boys since he has a son, Brad acknowledges that this goes for your daughters as well.
Dads: the way you tie your tie, the way you kiss mom goodbye, the way you smile as she leaves. He sees you.
Moms: the way you brush your hair, the way you rub dad’s shoulders after a hard day, the way your lipstick stains his cheek. She sees you.
Let this remind us to always choose our actions out of love, if not for you, for the little eyes that look up to you. ?
