Raising A Young Rancher
Congrats! It’s a boy!
I will never forget the moment when I found out I was the father of a son! Hours in the delivery room followed by, congratulations, its a boy!
So much went rushing through my head. Is he healthy? Will he love me as much as I already love him? Will I make him proud? Will I be a good dad and mentor? Will I be a good provider? What will he want to be when he grows up? And the BIGGEST, where is the instruction manual to raising a son?
Throughout the years I imagined being a dad – gathering cows in the open range as we ride on horseback. Together we will perform chores around the ranch as he inquires about life and love. After a long day, we will put our boots up at the ranch while enjoying- a freshly grilled t-bone steak.
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When you climb into the saddle, be ready for the ride.
HOLD ON for the ride of your life!
Fatherhood is tough. Raising a boy is hard, and raising them to be what you want them to be is harder.
As dads, it’s natural to want to pass on some masculine wisdom, but often we don’t know where to start or even what to say. We all want our sons to be kind but strong. Determined and unwavering in pursuing their goals, but not pushy or bullish. Admit when he has made a mistake and be unapologetic when standing up for what is right.
This is my first time at the Fatherhood rodeo, so I thought I would pull some of life lessons from the cowboy handbook. Following my internet search “raising boys to be men” and “raising a son to be a cowboy”, I have come to learn that one of the character traits sorely lacking in our culture today is that of masculine honor.
So, I continued my search and have concluded what I think defines “masculine honor’ – or at least what I would like for my son to have and be.
I will set my son up to succeed and even fail.
I will instill all my wisdom to help my son succeed. But I will also allow him opportunities to fail – because he will. Failure is a crucial step in the learning process. Failure is inevitable, but I will focus his attention on what went wrong and how he can fix it. When my son fails, he will have the tools to resolve his failure and he will know how to get back in the saddle and ride on.
I will teach him manners—or even better, chivalry.
My son will grow up knowing that chivalry is not dead. Sadly, most boys today do not have to earn the affections of a young lady. Today, many young ladies make the pursuit non-existent – much to their detriment. Teach your son the value of good manners. Manners are, after all, about respect – respect for oneself and respect for others. A young man who possesses these qualities will have doors opened for him in life by the right people and woman. This I know I want for my son.
I will teach my son he doesn’t have to be ashamed of being a male.
Men need other men to confirm their masculinity. I know this sounds strange, but there’s nothing more uplifting to the male soul than having another guy validate that you have what it takes as a man. Rather than raise my son with the notion that he has to be a “mans man”, I will be sure to let him understand that to be a man means living his life according to his own healthy beliefs that encompass faith, family, and friends. We also need to break the cycle of male loneliness and teach our sons that is is healthy to have, authentic male friendships. When a man stands by his own convictions and establishes strong male relationships, he can embrace who and what he is and live his life unapologetically.
Teach him a code of honor and how to tend the land. Show him by example and he will grow up to be a man.
~ excerpt from Your Son
These are just a few of the many life lessons that I will instill in my son. My son will grow laughing over slips in the mud, the pain of losing an animal, and feeling a sense of accomplishment after a long days work.
My son will learn to bow his head in the sun, wipe his forhead in the rain, and watch his icy breath in the early mornings atop a mountainside. He will know how to balance a checkbook, balance grain rations, and how to gather a herd. He will know all about surviving life off the land as he departs his school bus to head to the house, but not until he has glanced over the herd first.
He will live this life knowing that life on a ranch is more than a job; it’s a lifestyle, it’s a passion that flows in his blood, and most important, it’s a legacy he will carry on – which in and of itself is an honor.
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We at 10 Mile West Cattle Company enjoy living in a small agricultural community where we have access to cultural opportunities for ourselves and our future generations.
We are blessed with being able to choose our livlihood while sharing our work experience with our children. We are committed to expanding our work ethic into our local community by showing and promoting town and school pride, while raising productive members of society.
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