Comments on Parisienne Farmgirl: The War Against Boys - Where Have all the Cowboys ...

Awesome post! I just discovered your blog, and am...

2012-02-15T03:16:06.539-05:00

Awesome post! I just discovered your blog, and am so happy about it!

can i get an amen??? AMEN! My husband cringes at ...

2012-01-28T11:24:30.343-05:00

can i get an amen??? AMEN!

My husband cringes at the song choices at church or on klove..."I really don't want Jesus to be my cosmic boyfriend" he whispers.

Yes,yes,yes,yes. You are so right Farmgirl Momma. ...

2012-01-27T08:22:49.854-05:00

Yes,yes,yes,yes. You are so right Farmgirl Momma. I am 56 now and my son in raised but now see how hard it is to raise a boy now because I have my grandson a lot. He is all boy in the best way and I encourage that. Keep up the fight for the right to be a cowboy.

Loved your post! I live in a house with boyz, I gr...

2012-01-24T01:50:00.594-05:00

Loved your post! I live in a house with boyz, I grew up next to household of 13 boyz, I love boyz, they are so cool, no drama, just rugged, athletes in my house and a spirit of sweethearts inside those boyz. Love my boyz!
Yours are adorable!
xo,
Gail
casualloveslegance

Bravo Angela - I agree with you 100%. As the mothe...

2012-01-23T12:46:22.390-05:00

Bravo Angela - I agree with you 100%. As the mother of two boys, and I can tell you, if anyone ever tried to dope up my sons It would kill me. I am not one who believes in medication OR shrinks. Climbing trees, a stinky pond full of fish and honest to goodness Dirt are my kids medication.

My youngest watches a few shows during the week, but the rest of the time he's either Fishing with dad, playing a musical instrument, getting dirty in the yard, grass stains on the knees of his pants daily, or finding something to "fix". It's hilarious this one.

I teach my kids manners at home, right from wrong, and to respect others. I draw the line at telling them how they should "be", what kinds of things they can "do" and how they should "act"...

We're moving to the Country in less than a week - and I sure do hope they continue to get dirty and at the end of their wild Country day, look back on it with happiness. A nickname for my 9 year old is "Arless" from Old Yeller - because every time I wash his pants they have everything known to man in the pockets. I literally have to inch my fingers inside careful not to get bit or stuck with anything. I would not want it any other way. If he had clean pockets - I'd be nervous. LOL

You ROCK girlfriend and more than that, you are an inspiration. xo

Hmmmm....I think you are living in the wrong place...

2012-01-23T10:13:04.517-05:00

Hmmmm....I think you are living in the wrong place! Get out of the city!!! Seriously!
I don't think boys should be allowed to hurt others but then again a girl shouldn't be either! Kids need to be allowed to play and explore. And there isn't any place in the city to be a kid!
And be patient. The pendulum has to swing too far each way until it comes to rest in the middle. Society was so difficult for women for so long and when things started to change they pushed to extremes. It will come back and as long as we treat others with respect, it doesn't make any difference what any one writes in any book. Love your children, treat them with respect, teach them the Golden Rule and you will raise children you love and are proud of.

Wow. My sentiments exactly. I don't want my so...

2012-01-22T22:38:34.347-05:00

Wow. My sentiments exactly. I don't want my son to grow up a be a sissy.

I've often said "there should be a specia...

2012-01-21T15:59:55.202-05:00

I've often said "there should be a special award for mother's of boys". I've raised 2, who are now men, and on their way to being husbands and fathers. I can say I'm proud of how they turned out. But when they come home, it's like my home, even today, turns into a cage fighting ring (in a good sense). They still love to punch, and tease each other, pop with towels, and trash talk. It's all perfectly wonderful and I miss it when they are gone. But sometimes I still want to crawl into a quiet hole when they are roughousing. One of my favorite things to say (in jest) is "How did I get all these boys"? Husband included:) I love them and wouldn't change a thing, I love letting them be boys. I only wish I had read that book when they were little, I might have changed a few things along the way. Keep on preaching girl.
You have a new follower.
Margo

Good post! I am often repulsed by men, even men a...

2012-01-21T15:08:57.485-05:00

Good post! I am often repulsed by men, even men at church, because of their femininity. My father taught me what real men are made of. Funny, I married a man who is much like my father. I thank God for my husband because he is not afraid to roar.

I married a cowboy and complained he was not polit...

2012-01-21T14:35:41.288-05:00

I married a cowboy and complained he was not polite....but honestly what you are saying is true. Men need to be allowed to be men and boys to be boys. I don't want to limit women to the kitchen but oh how I love for men to be free to be men. My sons both are. I rejoice!

Couldn't agree more Parisienne Farmgirl! My so...

2012-01-21T09:56:13.290-05:00

Couldn't agree more Parisienne Farmgirl! My son is 28 and in elementary school the teachers insisted he was ADD and should be on medication. We refused to medicate a perfectly normal boy who was creative, energetic and athletic but who was being force fed a steady diet of banal education. Just look at commercials on TV today. They make men out to be complete idiots. It is a war on males. And happy to report my 28 yr old has manners galore but is still energetic, creative and above all masculine. And he thanks me for fighting to keep him unmedicated as a child.

In defense of Angela, I think "Anonymous"...

2012-01-21T09:50:14.758-05:00

In defense of Angela, I think "Anonymous" is on a rant to damage her. It seems personal. I will say this is not the forum for that kind of dialogue. I get that "Anonymous" is trying to state that no one should tell another how to raise their children. However, I don't believe that is what Angela is doing with this post, nor is it the point.

What seems to be the point is, in observation of the world around us, boys are not being allowed to be what they are created to be - NOT GIRLS!!! And, we are to blame for that - ALL of us - for being permissive of this change under the guise of "civility".

I want my boy to become a worthy man. In this society, that is incredibly difficult to have happen. As a single parent, I feel resentment that there isn't more collective nurturing, or people going out on a limb like Angela to point out the lack of it, to help raise our boys to become men.

And, those who do think they are giving them the opportunity to really engage as boys are putting them solely in the competitive realm of sports in doing so, it seems (in my humble, high school teacher observation). Very few fathers engage with their sons in real teaching of manhood, whether in an intact traditional household or not.

I commend Angela for going where so many people are fearful of going. As she has said, she wants readership but rightfully will not compromise her thoughts and comments (which, last I noted, we are still allowed to do freely in this country). Just as you are allowed to disagree with her, she is allowed to profess. However, I don't ever hear anything personal in what she says about anyone outside of her own experience.

Play nice! (Oh, the irony of that statement!)

I am certain that your son will be a big hit with ...

2012-01-21T09:17:10.160-05:00

I am certain that your son will be a big hit with other young boys his age when they come oover to play with him(although you never allude to him playing with other young males) and he asks them, while he exhibits his perfect table manners, what their favorite classical music composer is....

There's a BBC documentary showing down under a...

2012-01-20T22:41:43.652-05:00

There's a BBC documentary showing down under at the moment that I think you would enjoy Ang (check You Tube for it, might be there) It's called 'Gareth Malone's Extraordinary School for Boys'. He takes on the challenge of teaching a class of boys and engaging them in learning which he does by allowing them to be boys! Setting up a classroom in the woods where they are not normally allowed into and other boisterous and 'risky' activities which make the 'trained by the system' teachers deem it for failure. Absolutely loved it and still 2 episodes to go for me.
The sentiments you shared were also echoed in that infamous Dockers ad 'Once Upon a Time Men wore the Pants' which I have pinned to my office noticeboard because I agree with every single line in it. Did you know Bear Grylls called one of his sons Huckleberry! I guess it was for Huckleberry Finn!

Anon, Not quite sure what led you to think we aren...

2012-01-20T20:40:34.778-05:00

Anon,
Not quite sure what led you to think we aren't raising our boys to understand that "there is a time and there is a place"... the jist of article was that we all need to consider the culture in which we have been raised and question how that has preconditioned us to think about our boys and their behavior.
I find myself rather proud that while my eldest son is "all boy" he has a fantastic attention span... can sit with respect in church ( and retain and understand the sermon), he can play legos by himself in his room for hours (while listening to the classical radio station - his favorite), he will water color and draw for hours on end. You can take him to the finest or restaurants and never have to worry if he is going to embarrass you. I could go on and on.
It's was not about excusing bad behavior because "they are just boys". It was about self examination and looking to see if we are demanding that our boys be something they are not.
Thanks for reading!
Blessing!
Angela

2012-01-20T20:38:04.761-05:00

This comment has been removed by the author.

So true!!! Zach has this deep desire to be in the ...

2012-01-20T17:47:02.492-05:00

So true!!! Zach has this deep desire to be in the dirt and is never happier than when he is digging through the dirt finding "gross" cool things to show mom. My boys have been doing so much building and creating things, they can use their imaginations and play for hours and hours. We have cut WAY back on TV and electronics and it has been great. I Love the sound effects they make when they are playing!!

i think there is a fine line between letting them ...

2012-01-20T17:06:05.964-05:00

i think there is a fine line between letting them be loud and boistrous and teaching them some manners and when it ia appropriate to be wild and crazy..i don't quite understand your view but i can appreciate it anyway..

Jesus is the role model for our sons. He was masc...

2012-01-20T13:10:19.230-05:00

Jesus is the role model for our sons. He was masculine and physical (carpentry and fishing), enjoyed a good party, showed compassion, gentleness and kindness. He asked us to follow His example of nonviolence, turning the other cheek, loving our enemies, caring for the meek and poor, tolerance--these are the qualities and attributes we want to instill in all of our family members.

Having raised a son and daughters I understand thi...

2012-01-20T12:57:20.963-05:00

Having raised a son and daughters I understand this issue. But I tried to impress on ALL of my kids that there is a time and place for everything. Ryan was taught to be reverent in church, to have good manners at the table and in restaurants, to be attentive in school, to respect our living room--and then to cut lose and be wild in the family room, outdoors, etc. And now he is a wonderful 34 year old man. We can have sensitive conversations and yet he is hunky and masculine. Perfect! Andrea

Well stated, Angela! I am encouraged by your post ...

2012-01-20T11:48:48.438-05:00

Well stated, Angela! I am encouraged by your post and the comments.
~Lynne
[w/L]

I completely agree and very well said! Thank you!...

2012-01-20T10:41:31.234-05:00

I completely agree and very well said! Thank you!

is your son engaging in activities with other litt...

2012-01-19T21:09:35.346-05:00

is your son engaging in activities with other little boys his age several times/week? Does your husband interact with your son outdoors by teaching him sports??
If you want boys to behave like boys, then allow them to do "guy"
things!!! Does your husband have opportunities to interact with other men without female intervention?

I found you on Pinterest. Quite by mistake...on t...

2012-01-19T20:53:17.958-05:00

I found you on Pinterest. Quite by mistake...on the contrary...God led me to your blog.

There is nothing for me to say except that my "boy" will turn 21 on his birthday while spending it doing God's work in Africa.

Boys are from another planet. I had two - now almo...

2012-01-19T20:43:04.406-05:00

Boys are from another planet. I had two - now almost 40 and have 6 six grandsons. My two girls never did get along with their brothers growing up but secretly worshiped them. My biggest complaint is seeing little boys (like society) with their heads into DS's, Iphones, you name it instead of making things, building forts, being physical and learning how to do things.That's how a man becomes a man.