By Mary Michael massie, PERIMETER SCHOOL MOM

As a mother of four and aunt to twenty, sixteen of which are boys, I am constantly trying to figure this “mothering/aunting” gig out. 

Surprise - I haven’t figured it out yet! However, I have realized that the key is not necessarily getting it right but discovering those things that make each individual kiddo’s eyes sparkle and nurturing and playing to that strength. I have found that doing this creates a platform for sharing, opening up, and furthering emotional growth. And the one universal truth that seems to make most boys’ eyes sparkle is . . . adventure.  

Created for adventure

As John Eldridge points out, boys were created to be adventurous. Adventure is defined as unusual and exciting, typically hazardous experiences or activities. 

I’m reminded of the time I watched my four year old nephew fly down the driveway on a roller racer, helmet sideways and unfastened, ultimately landing in the fence at the bottom. Unscathed and eyes bright with pride, he got up and repeated this feat several more times.

Or the time the plumber came to my house to unclog a bouncy ball from the toilet. And the time he came back to retrieve the tiny army men the boys sent in after the bouncy ball. 

Have you ever had a drone? Ours lasted one day before it landed 100 feet high in a tree. The boys, including my husband, spent the next several days throwing footballs at it to jar it loose and shooting it down with a bb gun. One of them even got on our roof to try and reach it with a broom. Don’t worry, no one was shot, just this mama’s nerves.  

But THIS was more fun to them than actually flying the drone! It was this event that made me realize that boys are wired so uniquely for adventure. I saw all of their eyes light up, and they came alive!

the author of adventure

But this sense of adventure is not a new thing. It is the exact nature of many of the biblical figures that were called into the unknown work of God. 

Think about the risk Noah took building that boat and the tools he had to create just to build so meticulously on dry land. Think about the danger Abraham endured climbing that mountain to sacrifice Isaac. Think about the adrenaline running through Moses’ veins as he led folks through God’s parted Red Sea. Think about the light David must have had in his eyes when that rock hit Goliath square in the middle of his head. 

Boys were designed for this.

mother son Adventure

Perimeter School is hosting the Mother Son Adventure on Saturday, September 28. Now, we are not asking you and your son to walk through the parted Red Sea, but pulling a rip cord from 50 feet in the air on a tandem swing may be just the thing that elicits that type of adrenaline in your son. 

Or how about taking out another kid’s mom in laser tag? 

For me, climbing the net to get to the platform of the wobbly, windy triple zip and unhooking and reconnecting my carabiner was both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. 

But what’s even better than that? My middle schooler and I didn’t have deep conversations climbing that net, but we did experience the same rush, the same fears, the need for the other to spur us forward, and a connection built by trying something new side-by-side that we still talk about a year later. THAT is sparkle! THAT is connection! Not because of words or a lecture but because of an experience shared together.

BENEFITS OF Adventure

Research shows that emotional growth depends on experience - live, face-to-face experiences that are participatory. Doing an activity or project, versus reading about doing it or watching someone do it online, actually builds life skills. Experience is a building block needed to equip our children to solve problems and learn self-regulation. 

Furthermore, group activities foster team building through working together towards a goal. This is great news! 

To me, this means that pegging someone with a gaga ball or playing human foosball potentially equips our kids to become critical thinkers.  

The bottom line is this - the Mother Son Adventure is worth it. It is so worth it, that I sign up for both sessions just for more one-on-one time with my boys.  

Let’s play to our boys’ strengths and join them on their adventures. Lean in. Let them know that they are seen, they are loved, they are unique, they have gifts, and they are valuable!

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up and find out what makes that warrior in your boy that God so wonderfully made for adventure come alive!

Perimeter School’s Mother Son Adventure is Saturday, September 28. Go to ParentsWeb > Web Forms > Mother Son Adventure to register by Thursday, September 12. Moms of boys, it will be an adventure you won’t want to miss!