A few months back, Taylor and I were talking about a difficult situation that he had had to persevere though. I had actually called him to tell him how proud I was of his persistence in the circumstance and he told me, “you know what, Mom? That was something you taught me growing up. I think you need to tell your BOAW moms how important it is to build character in their young boys, because it is really hard, but it has really helped me so much.” Well, instead of me telling you how important it is, I thought it would be way more interesting to invite Taylor into the studio to tell you himself. Besides, I was really curious what exactly we had done to teach him these life lessons!

Surprisingly to me, Taylor said that family dinners were a consistent habit in our home that really built up his character. He said having regular family dinners taught him that he didn’t always get to have his own way. On family dinner nights he would have to stop playing or come home from a friend’s home to be on time for dinner. He also mentioned they taught him patience, as he had to wait for everyone to come to the table, wait to say the blessing, and wait for his turn to speak. Family dinners taught him how to share with others, and how to listen to other people’s perspectives on life.

It’s funny to me that I never intended for him to learn any of these big life lessons over the dinner table, but I can see now that it’s just one more reason why having family dinners together is so important.

I know it can be hard to relate with your boys moms, maybe especially if they have as much “blue” in them as Taylor does, but keep at it! Be creative in approaching your sons and getting them to talk to you, don’t give up on them, even when it is hard. Our conversation aired on Wire Talk episode 181 this week, and Taylor shared so much more that I want you to hear. He was pretty candid in our conversation, so I hope you’ll tune in to hear him in his own words. What an honor it is to raise little boys into young men!