“Mom, where did I come from?”

“Why am I here and what’s the meaning of life, Dad?”

Sooner or later, parents, your kids are going to ask the “big” questions. It’s important to be ready with a solid answer—especially for your son—and here’s why.

Many parents shy away from answering these types of questions because they don’t want to “impose” their views on their children. But your son needs to know. Boys who don’t have a well-grounded understanding of why they are here, what their purpose in life is, and why they are important are the most vulnerable to being led astray into self-destructive behaviors.

Every single boy is born for a reason, and every boy needs to know that he is no accident.

He exists to do something and to be someone unique. You can’t necessarily teach him what he should be, but you can teach him who he should be.  Most importantly, teach him that he has a purpose on earth, which will make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Coming to this realization is profoundly freeing for a boy because it allows him to see his life in a larger context. He learns that his actions are important, but he understands that if he was born to fulfill a purpose, then God will be there to help him fulfill that purpose. This idea is simultaneously liberating, exciting, and comforting for boys.

Lead your son in this direction and you guarantee him a healthy zest for life because passion follows purpose.

Parents can motivate boys only to a certain point. We can prod, cajole, bribe, and encourage boys to get good grades, not be rude, and to brush their teeth every night, but it is a boy’s passion—his sense of having a personal mission—that is his greatest motivator.

When a boy begins to experience the deep satisfaction of doing what he was born to do, he will want to exercise virtue because he’ll recognize that in order to achieve his purpose he needs to be courageous like never before. He’ll know that he needs integrity to keep true to his purpose, and he most certainly needs self-discipline to corral his power and energy in the necessary direction.

Passion to achieve his life’s purpose will weave virtue into his character.

What are some ways you communicate  your kids’ purposes to them?

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This post is adapted from Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons.