The Physical Demands Of Boys

I was going to post more about homeschool stuff, but I thought I would write a quick thoughtful post on how we handle rough housing and physical behavior from our sons, for Liberty.



Boys, by nature, are very physical little beings. I have learned to understand, appreciate, and even respect it through the years. This doesn't mean that they are allowed to do anything they want, but we do make allowances for this way of communicating and blowing off steam.



We have always had a few hard fast rules at our house. One of them is not allowing them to get physical with the intention to hurt. This is one rule, that when broken, gets a talking to and a spanking. We use LOTS of disciplines, and we don't spank for every little thing. There are many ways to go about getting a message across without having to make it corporal punishment. Nevertheless, we have always found it effective to spank if someone has hurt someone on purpose, in this house.



All of our boys have played sports. We have looked at it as a good outlet to blow off physical steam for them. This doesn't mean that we keep them busy doing sports daily, but something that we remind them to look forward to. We have plenty of wrestling moments, but we plan them rather than letting them take place on their own. Meaning that if we can see the boys are in the mood to wrestle we may pull back the coffee table, in the living room, and let them spar while we watch them. Even in this it is about good sportsmanship. No one is allowed to play dirty, or have the intention of hurting another. Not that this has been a problem in the past or the present.



There have been times when one child has had obedience issues so we have had them run around the house. We have had our older boys do push ups when finding out they haven't done a chore that they were told to do. We have found that wearing them out physically has helped them mentally. They are by nature conquerers, thrill seekers, and physical leaders so we play in to the natural way of that. We don't believe in stifling it. We use it in their play, and in their discipline many times.



That is one of the reasons I felt strongly about homeschooling. For centuries there was no such thing as public schools. Boys went out with their dads and hunted, cut wood, and built things were their hands. They were designed to be out of doors and physically creative. I am careful not to burden them with tedious desk work all the live long day. It has a time and a place in our home, but we understand that it has its limits. I have seen much good come from allowing them to be busy.



So, if you are having difficulty with them hitting I say don't allow that, but if you feel that they are very physical, you are right. Make sure they have ample time to run around outside. Even let them have a tickle or wrestling session that is supervised. Help them to understand good physical play vs. negative physical play. We have purchased plenty swords in our children's lives. Again there are rules. No intentionally hurting someone, but let them play. If someone is struggling with battering a sibling, intentionally, take it from them, and calmly explain why the intention or the careless behavior is not acceptable, and discipline that.



I'm not sure if I have answered your question. I would be happy to give more details in a certain situation if you have a specific concern.