Raising a boy.

Raising a son.

Raising my son.

I want him to know how to cry. How to feel. I want him to know that she doesn’t have to say yes even if he paid for the date. I want him to know how to say no, I am uncomfortable. I want him to know he doesn’t have to raise his voice, his hand, to be heard. I want him to know how to open a car door and carry her luggage. I want him to listen and buy period packages. I want him to be okay when she says no, when she rejects him. I want him to know it is his choice to spend his money and it is her choice to say no to his advances. I want him to go after what he loves. I want him to be clear about his boundaries, about what he wants. I want him to know that life is beautiful. But most of all, most of all, I want to raise a boy who knows what love is. I want to raise a son who knows how it feels to be loved. I want to raise my son to know that he is loved, wholely, wholeheartedly.