Boys are not born knowing what it means to be a gentleman. They must be taught. My concern is that in our current era, many parents have little idea what to say to their son on this topic. So the boy looks to the Internet, and what he finds there is Bruno Mars and Drake, Eminem and Akon, or John Mayer boasting about his collection of pornography.
I have visited more than 460 schools over the past 21 years, and I have found that most boys are hungry to have a conversation about what it means to be a good man. I have led those discussions with boys, where I suggest the following definitions as a starting point for conversation:
- A gentleman governs his passions rather than being governed by them. As Supreme Allied Commander during the Second World War, Dwight D. Eisenhower would quote Proverbs 16:32: “Greater is he who can rule his own spirit than he who takes a city,” a verse his mother had taught him in childhood.
- A gentleman never strikes a woman, not even in self-defense.
- A gentleman never touches a woman without her consent.
Next up in our series on healthy masculinity: @unfragilekids
Does the Word ‘Gentleman’ Still Mean Anything Today? Here's Why It Should https://t.co/FmsGufoOmM— Inst. Family Studies (@FamStudies) May 17, 2022