Ten things I hope I will be able to teach my son:
- Be kind, always, but with the knowledge of when to walk away
- Cooking – it will do me good to know you can feed yourself on things other than dominoes pizza and kebabs (though let’s face it that’s all you’ll eat for at least 5 years of your life, just like your mamma did!)
- Tidiness – I’m a pig, and I hate it. Teaching the boy that cleaning is fun! Hurray!
- That if you try your best, you don’t have to feel bad if you don’t succeed. It’s not the worst thing in the world to lose sometimes.
- To be a feminist. Sorry son, but you’re in for some lectures when I hear you say “but that’s for girls“
- That you don’t aspire to be happy, it happens when you learn to appreciate the small stuff. Friends, a loving family – all the little things that don’t cost you anything if you do it right
- To love books – this is going to be hard as he’d much rather be jumping on the bed than reading in it but I will persist!
- To look after his teeth (dentists are the minions of Satan, but obviously I won’t tell him that)
- To expand his horizons – look up, look about, look around. The world is amazing and you can learn every day just by noticing.
- To never stop asking questions, about anything and everything. A thirst for knowledge is a thirst for life.
What do you hope your children will learn from you?
  
Awww what wonderful things, it’s so lovely to read someone else list of these lessons.
I totally agree with you about the dentist one! Argh!!
Boo has just graduated from eating books to liking to look at books, so there is always hope hehe. So many important lesson here to share with your son, all so important, I love 9 and 10 especially =)
Thank you – and thanks for the idea! 😀
YES to all of these!! (and what a handsome little man you have!)
I have a little boy myself and I defiantly want him to grow up knowing how to treat women and also how not to idolise the airbrushed women that he sees on TV and online.
#TheBabyFormula
Indeed! I do really worry about it. Xx
All of these things!! Your son is super handsome, he is going to grow into a wonderful young man if he follows your advice! #Thebabyformula
Thank you 🙂
What a cute pic! I agree to all of these, great post!
Thanks for sharing on #TheBabyFormula
oh a lovely list! Funnily enough I’ve just posted a blog today about raising my son to be gentleman so maybe that would be something I’d add to your wonderful list #bigpinklink
Thanks – and yes that’s a good one too! 🙂 x
I think you want to teach teach similar values that I do! I think the kindness one is so important and I’m always on at my girl to look after her teeth! I think sleep enough is a good one too! 🙂 #bigpinklink
Haha, I wish I KNEW how to teach him to sleep! He’s a right sod for brushing his pegs though, I need to get him to the dentist again *cries*
Oh, a really great list!! I loved them all, but especially number 6, that’s really food for thought… The gender neutrality is also an issue in our house. I get so cross with my husband for always saying ‘no, that’s for girls’ to our boys. He won’t stop doing it, despite me saying how much it angers me. If my boys want to push dolls in prams, and wear tutus, I have no problem with that at all! My husband also comes from a family where nudity was thought of as ‘disgusting.’ He has learnt to get over that, and I let the children see me naked, and they wobble my tummy, and I tell them that most mummy’s tummies will do that! For me, the most important message will be that they have to treat women (future girlfriends,) with respect. I will feel a huge sense of achievement if they grow up to be kind, caring, sensitive, and respectful in relationships. Thanks for sharing such a thought provoking post with #bigpinklink.
Thank you. I get that from his Dad too, it really annoys me! Or he calls him a big girl if he cries, grr! Xx
What a lovely boy! NC is only 6 months and already I’m starting to worry very slightly about ‘how to do it’ (parenting) with him as my eldest is a girl. But I guess it isn’t actually very different at all! Love no. 6 too by the way. Thanks for sharing – really thought-provoking. #bigpinklink
Thank you 🙂 x
PS I bloody love your blog
Haha – just saw this comment! Ah, thank you; that is an amazing thing to say – really glad!
Love the thirst for knowledge one. Mine is that I want him to remain curious about people and the world. There is so much to learn and so much to experience. Lovely list #bigpinklink
Thank you 🙂
i have 3 sons and totally agree with your list. 🙂
Thank you 🙂
That’s a great list! I’m teaching my son (and daughter) to respect themselves. Teeth – good one and to have a healthy relationship with food and that anything in moderation is ok. Let’s hope it all sinks in, lol. #bigpinklink
Yes moderation is an excellent one! Thanks for reading 🙂
Great list! I have a son too and I hope to teach him to be generous, caring and respect all humans #bigpinklink
Nadia – ScandiMummy x
Thank you 🙂
I just love this. I really do. I’m the Mother of a little boy and often wonder what I hope for him and above all, of course, its happiness. Happiness and confidence. Oh and also to look after his teeth too, I wish I’d looked after mine better #thebigpinklink
Thank you 🙂 xx
This is a brilliant post, fantastic values that I too would like to enstill within my children that I have in the future. I really hope he gets into reading, reading is fantastic and a great way to open up the imagination 🙂 #BigPinkLink
Me too! Thank you xx
He’s going to be a perfect gentlemen. gorgeous pics. Thanks for linkin up #modernmummonthly
Lovely pictures! I love this post. I can so relate as I have two boys and I was nodding along to your whole list. I especially like #1 — knowing when to walk away is sometimes so ridiculously hard to do. I am all for teaching my sons how to cook too. I have told them that they should be self-sufficient and independent. But after cooking, they’ll have to learn how to wash up too. I am always horrified at the state of my kitchen when they are “learning”.
Me too! Mine ALWAYS wants to make scrambled eggs. Just to smash the shells of course….!
What a beautiful post?! Having a son I agree with everything you say – that thirst for knowledge and for looking up and seeing more – live life and love it fully – gorgeous #triballove
Thanks Helen xx
Love the tidiness one… I too am messy, but hate mess? Go figure. Maybe if we teach them that cleaning if fun… they’ll do it for us?? Worth a shot anyway isn’t it!! #Triballove
This is my end plan….a willing servant!
This is a really lovely post with some fantastic pictures. I like that you are trying to teach him to be clean and have feminist values! As for looking up at the world and noticing all the things around him, that is a beautiful idea #triballove
Thanks Z xx
That is beautiful Sarah. I hope to teach my son all of these things as well. #TribalLove
This is a lovely post, and I agree with all of it! Especially that dentists are the minions of satan!
Lu xx
#TribalLove