By Kristie McCollum 
His smile. His giggle. His laugh. His wild, rambunctious ways. That’s my son. My boy. He is loving, funny, and such a character. He is also a dare devil and enjoys jumping off high places. He loves music, especially the drums, and is always tapping or banging on things. He loves his sister, his grandparents, and is crazy about his teacher and friends at school. I love the way his eyes light up when he learns something new. That’s my son. My boy.
He also cries and wines a lot, mostly when he wants his way. He has a hard time going to sleep unless I am right next to him. He is hard headed and doesn’t always listen to me. His energy is through the roof and it can be hard to get him to sit still when he needs to. But that’s my son. My boy.
Other people tell me I am being to soft on him and that he will grow up being weak or feminine; that I am not doing my job to raise him as a man. And I have also been told that as a mother, I can’t teach him to be a man.
Am I not qualified to raise a man? What are the qualifications? Is there a book for mothers that gives a “how-to” on raising men?
As a mother, to hear that you can not raise your child properly does something to you. You do begin to wonder if you are truly capable of raising this beautiful gift to be an honorable, independent, strong, and civilized man in society. I look at horrible stories on the news of young men committing violent and crazy crimes and how some of them were only raised by their mothers. But on the other hand there are very successful men who have done exceptional in life and also were only raised by their mothers.
In my heart, I know that I am doing the best I can to show him how to behave, to always tell the truth, stand by his word, do well whatever you do, and how to be a gentlemen and look out for his sister. Isn’t that what I am supposed to do? Being that I am not a man, I can not teach him some things. I don’t really play or follow sports, I can’t fish, I don’t dress masculine; so these are things I won’t be able to do.
But I can make sure that he has men in his life that will help guide him. I believe it takes a village. I hope he meets truly upstanding men in life that can have a lasting effect on his journey into manhood.
Until these moments, I will continue to do my very best as his mother, to give him the basic building blocks he needs as he grows up. The road won’t be easy, I am sure. But that’s my son; my boy. I will do what it takes to make sure he grows up to be the best man he can be for himself and for his future wife and family.
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