12 Dec Raising Good Humans, Both On and Off the Court
Can you make young guys involved in athletics? You might be the high school football coach or an athletic coordinator, or perhaps you’re the parent of a kid who loves sports. If you are any of these individuals, this post is for you because you have the opportunity to influence tomorrow’s guys.
In today’s world, our boys are bombarded with messages about what it means to be a man. Many young guys feel as though they have to”prove” they are masculine; to do differently is sometimes a bit like social suicide. When they are playing on a court or onto a field, it is simple for them to feel like they “fit the mold”. However, what about instructing them what it means to become a fantastic man in the same time we are having them operate drills, lift weights, or practice their 3-point shot?
Here at Northeast Charter & Tour, we have the privilege of providing transportation for youth sports teams. This is something we love to perform. We get to see the power, camaraderie, and excitement involved in matches. But being manly isn’t defined by playing sports, only speaking about girls, and never crying, and it is important we teach these items to our own boys.
It’s like there’s an unwritten code for that which it means to be male, and Connor Beaton describes the code this way: you can’t cry or show emotion unless it’s aggression or anger, you can’t empathize with other people, fighting back is synonymous with strength, and also you never wish to exhibit any “female” behavior. Sound familiar?
If it does, perhaps you’ll be persuaded by a query we heard Justin Baldoni say: “Instead of simply teaching our children to be’courageous boys’ or’pretty women’, can we possibly just teach them how to become good humans?”
In the same vein, he issues this request to guys:
“I challenge you to see if you’re able to use the same qualities which you feel make you a man to go deeper into yourself: your strength, your bravery, your strength; will we redefine exactly what people mean and use them to research our hearts?
Are you brave enough to be vulnerable, to reach out to another man if you need help, to dive head first to your shame? Are you strong enough to become sensitive, to cry, whether you are hurting or you are happy, even if it makes you look weak? Are you confident enough to listen to the women in your own life, to hear their ideas and their answers, to maintain their anguish and really believe them, even when what they’re saying is against you? And are you going to be man enough to stand up to other guys when you listen to locker room speak?”
As today’s adults, we’re the models for our children. We live in a world in which there are swirling debates about identity and gender, and these are important conversations to have with the young people we socialize with. We can help them navigate life on and off the court by adopting these thoughts and speaking to our children about them too. When we focus on personality, we give them something which will help them succeed in the game and in life. At Norteast Charter & Tour we expect we can do this collectively. And when you’re on the lookout for team transport, we hope you will remember us! We are going to demonstrate why charter bus Maine travel is staff traveling!
The information for this post came in the following 2 TED discussions:
https://www.ted.com/talks/justin_baldoni_why_i_m_done_trying_to_be_man_enough/up-next#t-911229
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