The Souls of Boys

The generations of yesteryear raised boys to be hard, tough and unemotional. Because boys were expected to behave this way, they have been neglected emtotionally and spiritually for decades. It is important to understand that boys have big souls in little bodies. They need affection and unconditional love. In addition to these things, they need to be grounded and centered. They need to be reminded of their inner dialogue as well as encouraged to express themselves in safe and appropriate ways.

Nature has been taken away from our boys. As soon as they are toddlers, many of them are placed into preschool, then into Kindergarten and on into the rest of formal schooling. They have no time to spend discovering the world around them. They haven't been given the chance to explore nature and to follow their curiosities. Boys have a strong urge to connect with nature. They come into this world loving trees, frogs, spiders, animals, space, science...the list goes on.

Therefore, we as parents, caregivers and teachers need to work diligently to replace the essential building blocks that our boys need to thrive and become well balanced men. We need to offer them opportunities to reconnect with themselves and with nature. We need to provid activities and resources that will light the fire within them...the one that has gone dim in the past few years. We need to allow them to talk, paint, sing, play music, dance...to follow their hearts! They need to be recognized for how they learn best...and that is through play, movement and exploration. They learn best through their sense of touch.

We need to offer them toys made of natural materials as often as possible. Wood, cloth, silk and all natural fibers will speak to the soul of every boy. This brings them back to nature and satisfies their need to touch organic textures. It takes them to a place where they are supposed to be...a place of innocence, wonderment and to their authentic selves. Toys made of these materials should always be chosen over plastic toys if possible. Man made items aren't nearly as effective as textures from the natural world. If the event arises that a toy isn't available in a natural fiber, then man made toys should be carefully scrutinized and tested for harmful chemicals and lead. They should always be the last resort as well.

As mentioned before, boys need to be reminded to take part in an inner dialogue. They need to be shown that they can trust their inner voice and that they can control their behavior. Having an inner dialogue means that boys should be encouraged to meditate, to quiet their minds, and to ground and center. We need to provide them with books, cd's, dvd's and compassionate guidance that reinforce these concepts and essential life skills. This will help them deal with stress, anger, pain and fear as children and will give them the tools they need as men to deal with the complexities of life in a meaningful and healthy way.

The ideas that I present on this site stem from an enormous amount of research that I conducted as graduate student for my Master's thesis in Education. I am not just a mom who has the answers, I have a Master of Arts degree in Education with an emphasis on curriculum and instruction. I also have a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. In addition to my academic qualifications, I am a Reiki Master/Teacher and a children's Yoga instructor. I have designed courses on meditation, Reiki and yoga for children and have two boys of my own. So, you can trust that my ideas are based on research and experience.

I will post toys, books, activities, resources etc that have been thorougly examined and hand picked for their intrinsic value for nurturing the souls of boys. A brief explanation and/or description will always be posted along with these products. Please feel free to email me with any questions, comments, ideas or products that you think I should include on this site.