Boys Will Be Boys…

…and they will thrive because of that. Click the link to learn more, readers!

Give boys “impossible” challenges and watch them thrive

Fr. Michael Rennier – published on 10/29/23

There is something about boys and accepting challenges. With a little guidance and empowerment, they rise to the occasion.

“Go up a little higher on that next branch and have your brother hand the saw up to you,” I shouted up to my son. I was planted safely with two feet on the ground, having sent my two boys clambering up a pine tree in our yard as high as they could go. They were carefully pulling up behind them a wood saw and a thick rope. The tree needed to be cut down and, rather than pay an exorbitant price to a professional company, I convinced myself that I and my two boys, aged 11 and 13, could handle it.

So, there they were, perched on a branch about 25 feet in the air, taking turns sawing away at the trunk. Rather than gamble with toppling the whole tree over all at once right by several buildings, I showed the boys how to tie one section of the trunk to a lower section and then saw through the trunk in the space between. It’s an old trick I learned back when I would cut down trees as a landscaper during a high school summer job. That way, the tree can come down in a few sections that won’t fall too far or too randomly.

The job wasn’t easy. Not at all. I don’t own a chain saw so I sent the boys up with a wood saw to operate by hand. Their task was to take turns until the job was done. I gave them safety tips, helped them get started, and left them to it. After watching for a few minutes, it became clear they didn’t need my supervision or micromanagement. Even though the job is a hard one, they tackled it with persistence and enthusiasm. This was their chance to accomplish a difficult, meaningful, grown-up task.

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