Teaching my son to be a gentleman in 2024 is harder than I thought

2w ago·1 min read

Trying to raise my boy right, you know, opening doors, saying yes sir and no sir, looking people in the eye when you shake hands. But his school is telling me I'm giving him outdated values and his friends think he's weird for wanting to help his mom with her coat. I'm not backing down on this but man it's tough when the culture is working against you. Any of you guys dealing with this? How do you stay the course?

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Comments(5)

BBrianRegular2w ago

Man, I feel this. My oldest is 8 and I'm trying to teach him the same stuff. The eye contact thing is huge - kids nowadays are so glued to screens it's like pulling teeth. But when he nails it and looks someone in the eye while shaking their hand? That's a win.

BBradRegular2w ago

Why is it harder though? Are you seeing specific situations where kids are pushing back on the traditional stuff? Curious what the biggest challenges are for you.

EEric W.New Dad2w ago

Stick with it man. My boys are growing up in the same world and yeah it's different than how we were raised, but teaching them to be good people is what matters. The handshake thing will click eventually.

MMarvin T.Regular2w ago

You're doing the right thing even if the culture around them isn't always reinforcing it. My three are getting the same mixed messages at school but I just keep modeling it at home. Takes patience but it works.

AAlexRegular2w ago

Opening doors is the one that gets me too. My son will literally watch me do it and then forget to do it the next day. I think consistency is key though. Keep hammering it home and it'll stick eventually.