Baby Toys & Raising Boys
“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, think, reason like a child; when I became a man, I put away childish things.” – 1 Corinthians 13:11
One morning as I prepared my 7 year old son’s breakfast, I noticed that he was still eating off of the same Toy Story plate and bowl that my wife and I purchased for him when he was 4 years old. This was an epiphany for me because lately I have been stressing to my son the importance for him to stop talking like a baby. My wife and daughter have always “babied” my son but I never saw my role in the babying process until this morning. So I decided to write this blog not only for mothers that mentally breast feed their sons after the age of 5, but also fathers like myself who’ve always desired a son, and when God finally gave us one, we guarded him from “danger”, instead of guiding him through it.
“When the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.” – Genesis 21:8
I have been mentoring boys and young men since 2001 and I’ve seen firsthand the negative effects of 84 month old boys not being weaned from their mother’s breasts. Historically is Israel and Africa, baby boys were weaned from their mother’s breast at the age of two years old. This was a very significant stage for the father because he now could take his son from his wife’s bosom and train him up in the way of LORD. But unfortunately due to over 81% of African American homes being parented by single females, this weaning process takes over a decade to begin, if at all. To the other extreme, I’ve noticed homes with both father and mother, in which the father is almost always met with resistance from the mother when he tries to wean and train his son like a male.
After I disposed of my son’s Toy Story plate and bowl, I walked into his room. As I surveyed his toys, I noticed that 40% of them were not age appropriate. I then remembered last Christmas morning when I noticed that almost half of his gifts lacked the detail of the toys for someone his age. When I looked at the bottom corner of each of the boxes, it clearly read, “Ages 2 to 5”. It was very difficult for me to tell my beloved son that he could not open and play with any of the “baby toys”, but it was finally time to take a stand. He was saddened at first, but after our conversation he understood why it was necessary. Again, this is my fault, I allowed my son to be babied too long because I desired a son for so long. My actions or lack thereof, hindered my son’s development into manhood.
Conclusion: I think it’s safe to say that Abraham longed for a son more than I did, yet he did not allow that deep desire to compromise God’s will for his family. When God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, he did not consult with his wife Sarah or let his emotions deter him. Instead he responded to God’s will with bold action rooted in faith, and his entire lineage was blessed! As men of God, it is crucial that we strive for this type of faith when it comes to training up our boys. If we do not stop babying them, the prison industrial complex will continue enslaving them.
Shalom & Ahab,
Shärath Jason Wilson
Meet ‘Victor’ at the Premiere of ‘Sticks and Stones’
Grab your tickets and meet ‘Victor’ at the premiere of ‘Sticks and Stones’ TMRW at 6:30PM! https://www.eventbrite.com/…/sticks-stones-movie…
Read More
“Parenthood is About Guiding the Next Generation and Forgiving the Last.”
“𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭.” Parents, we have a very challenging, yet honorable job. On one hand, we are teaching and training our children to be the best version of themselves so they can live fulfilled and successful…
Read More
The Breakfast Club
Our CEO and Founder @MrJasonOWilson had the honor of being on the @breakfastclubam morning show to promote his new book, 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐲 – 𝗪𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝗪𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝗪𝐚𝐫 𝗪𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧. We’d love your continued support as we strive to reach men who have the…
Read More
Antibullying Film, ‘Sticks and Stones’
The effects of bullying are too long of a list to write. It’s why we decided to capture it in our #antibullying film, ‘Sticks and Stones’ premiering on Oct 16th! Tickets are limited https://www.eventbrite.com/…/sticks-stones-movie… so get yours and join us as we do our part…
Read More
Hey Parents! Did you Know…?
Hey parents! Did you know…? 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. This includes: Teasing Name-calling Inappropriate sexual comments Taunting Threatening to cause harm This type of bullying can occur during or after school hours. While most reported bullying happens…
Read More
Red Carpet Premiere, Sticks and Stones
Grab your tickets to the red carpet premiere of “Sticks and Stones” before they’re gone! We’ll see you there https://www.eventbrite.com/…/sticks-stones-movie…
Read More
A Reminder that “Boys Do Cry”
Parents, and especially fathers, this is just a reminder that “Boys Do Cry”. We want to thank @piffmarti for making this song and for highlighting our CEO and Founder @mrjasonwilson at the end. This topic is covered thoroughly in Jason Wilson’s books “Battle Cry –…
Read More
In Diversity there is Beauty and there is Strenght
Continuing the conversation today on bullying in honor of #bullyingpreventionmonth. We are going more in-depth about kids who are perceived as different and how they are at an increased risk of being bullied. As parents, it is our job to teach our children that there…
Read More
Sticks and Stones – Premiere
Get your popcorn! We’ve teamed up with Timashion Visionaire Jones to bring you ‘Sticks and Stones’, a film that exposes bullying in its many forms Get your tickets below and join us for the premiere on October 16th at the Ford Community & Performing Arts…
Read More
Bullying Affects All Teens
Parents! Did you know…? Research shows that students who are perceived as different in any type of way are at an increased risk of being bullied. This could be looks, behavior, style, relationships with other students, etc. Bullying affects all teens. This includes those who…
Read More
“Sticks and Stones”
In light of Bullying Prevention month we’re so excited to announce “Sticks and Stones”, a film we produced with TBOP Media to shed light on the long-standing, prevalent issue called BULLYING Join us for the premiere on October 16th at the Ford Community & Performing…
Read More
The Heart of the Matter
2 weeks ago we had our annual staff retreat! Our theme this year was “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.” We wanted our staff to focus on taking care of themselves so that they can feel good, but also so they can be effective in caring…
Read More
Hey, Parents! Did you know?
Hey parents! Did you know… Nearly 33% of children are obese and malnourished. This increases lack of energy, lower academic performance, poor concentration, memory loss, and can even lower life expectancy! Diet plays a HUGE role in children physically, mentally, and emotionally.…
Read More
Kristen on Board at The Yunion Leading Our Youth Advisory Design Team!
We are so excited to have Kristen on board at The Yunion leading our Youth Advisory Design Team (YADT)! Read below to find out what she is all about! “𝘔𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘒𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰…
Read More
The Way We Talk To Our Children Becomes Their Inner Voice
What our children think of themselves is significantly influenced by how they think we as their parents view them. Your voice, whether gentle and kind, empathic and warm, or strident and harsh, becomes a big part of their inner voice. They…
Read More
The Heart of the Matter
Our Annual Staff Retreat last weekend was EPIC! Our theme this year was “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.” Which is so relevant to our cause – healing and caring for our hearts so that we can care for the hearts of the youth…
Read MoreBlog Categories
SEARCH THIS BLOG:
