How Do Fathers Teach Their Sons to Be Real Men?

Families, communities, and nations are stronger when parents set good examples for their children. People have long suspected that boys learn how to become men by watching their fathers, and girls learn how to become women by watching their mothers.

Researchers noticed that today’s “men express their maleness in different ways.” So they studied men to learn how “men develop their ideas, beliefs and behaviors in relation to masculinity.” They learned that young men “copy” the masculinity of their fathers. 

While the authors describe masculinity different than I do, they have actual evidence that young men copy their fathers and become like them. This shows that fathers are invaluable in the development of the rising generation.

The secret to developing young men who use their masculinity properly is for fathers to model good examples. Young men who watch their fathers protect women and children will automatically know that they should treat women and children with kindness and gentleness.

Over the past twenty years, I have watched my grandsons imitate their fathers. My study was purely observational and did not yield any scientific evidence. However, I recognize the power that good fathers can have with their sons.

One way to end many of the crime problems involving youth is for fathers to teach their sons how to be real men and use both words and actions to do so. As fathers take their rightful place as leaders in their homes, their sons and daughters will be blessed, and families, communities, and nations will be stronger.