6 Things to Teach Your Son Before He Turns 18

Eyinade Eweje

Having a responsible and vibrant young man for a son is every mother’s pride. To set that dream in motion, here are 6 things you should painstakingly teach your son before he turns 18…

1. Girls don’t deserve anything you wouldn’t do to me. From aggressive behaviour, sexual abuse, slander, to lies, and several other vices, teach your son to respect, empathize with and treat every girl just as nicely as he would his beloved mama, and they would earn lots of admiration and respect in return.

2. His friends will either make or mar him. Teach him the wisdom in making friends that will help him become a better person, socially, academically and in other facets of life. Encourage him to shun bad company and teach him how to make the right choices in the face of enormous peer influence.

Meanwhile, keep an eye on the company he keeps and develop some bond with his friends by inviting them over regularly as teenage boys often get into porn, sexting, rape, drugs and other vices through peer influence and keep pretending to their unassuming parents until it’s too late.

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3. A man with integrity always takes responsibility for his mistakes. Teach him to always accept his mistakes and learn from them.

In addition, you and your son should have had series of talks on sexual education before he turns 18 as his values about sex are already formed by this age. Keep reinforcing that abstinence is best and using protection otherwise is paramount. Tell him in the event of a pregnancy, you won’t let him escape all the resultant consequences.

4. Personal hygiene. Don’t raise a man whose friends and wife will constantly nag for being so dirty and not caring to change. It starts from how they are raised – teach your son from as early as possible how to keep his privates, body and environment clean.

By the time he turns 18, it’s probably too late to cry, so, start now when he’s still mummy’s little boy.

5. Cooking and other domestic chores don’t hurt. Don’t keep house chores for the girls only, leaving your son to play the supposed macho roles. Just like your daughter, teach your son how to do every chore and watch him grow into a more wholesome man, who would be willing to lend his wife a hand in place of crossing his legs in front of the TV while his wife slaves all day.

6. Hard work pays. Teach him to dare to dream and diligently work towards achieving set goals, without compromising any of his values.

What would you add to this list?

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