He had been asking me to take him to a barbershop. Up until this point, I had always been "Barber Mom" and I enjoyed it!

There's a quality about my youngest son that I admire and truly adore. He desires to try new things. He enjoys life to the fullest that his little 7 year old self can. When it came time for haircuts, I gathered my handy kit and got to work on my older son and hubby. I've been cutting my husband's hair since we were in college. Over the years, I've gotten pretty good at this gig!

"Mama, do you think I could go to a barbershop for a haircut this time?"

I could have said, "no" and a lot of times I do (believe me) but I saw the curiosity and excitement in his face and said, "I can absolutely take you to a barbershop, buddy."

I googled and chose a spot. The nice barber shook my little guy's hand and told him to squeeze firmly and look the other person in the eye when you shake hands. That little moment instantly reminded me of my grandfather, dad and husband. There was a simpler time, many years ago, when a handshake and your word was all you needed. 

Raising up young boys is a great responsibility and that is not lost on me because I'm a woman. I know what a loving man looks like. I know what a respectful man looks like. I know what a Christ-following man looks like. I know what a humble man looks like and I know trying to teach our boys these things is not always easy. 

On a random week night, I took my son to a barbershop and that may be the most average outing to most of you. However, that day, my son felt a little bit like a man. 

Do you ever take a pause and really observe your children's qualities? Life can get so busy sometimes and an entire day may pass before you realize you didn't have a true connection with your little one that day. You can even spend the whole day with someone without really seeing them. My little encouragement for today is to look at your family members with fresh eyes. Find a little piece inside of their personality that you can tend to and make something special happen. 

The smile you'll see is so worth it. 

Blessings,