We Should Hug Our Boys.
My heart melts every time I see my adorable 5-year-old nephew. His infectious laughter, sweet compliments, and cuddly nature remind me of the pure, loving beings our boys are born to be.
However, a growing concern of mine is that he's entering a world that often pressures boys to conform to antiquated ideas of masculinity; ideas that stifle their emotional growth and hinder their ability to form healthy relationships.
Boys are taught to prioritise strength over vulnerability, and value dominance over empathy. This toxic masculinity not only harms them but the people around them and the society at large. We’ve heard the stories; from questionable life choices and weird dating behaviours to extreme violence against girls and women.
We need boys to be well balanced humans, right? This means teaching them to be kind, compassionate and emotionally intelligent. Having awesome dads, coaches, or other grown-up guys around is essential. These guys should be the type who care about others, know how to treat people right, can talk openly and most importantly, hold each other accountable. And let’s be real, choosing a partner who shares these values about raising kids this way is super important.
I don't claim to have all the answers, but as aunties, uncles, parents, and caregivers we need to work towards raising children who are kind, confident, and ready to make a positive effect on the world.
Our future would be better for it.
Love and light. ❤️
Absolutely! My mom is always telling me to stop hugging my little bother because he’s too big for that now (he’s 15, I’m 33) and I always respond that we need love and affection at every age. I do ask him if he wants a hug tho, because we also need to respect consent at every age.
I plan to be the same with my nephews and my own boys if I have them.
yes to all of this. also, your nephew and his mom are adorbs. Both of them. The love radiating off of them is so real.