USGN Article -
August 2000
Terry & Barbi Franklin
Written by Terry Franklin
We recently had a bar-mitzvah for my son Tyler, who was turning 13. Well, it was sort of a bar-mitzvah — without the bagels and lox, and memorized Hebrew!
I had been thinking for a number of months how few “rites of passage” there are for boys who are becoming men. I also wondered how many men today really know what it means to be a man? Think about it men; Did anyone ever teach you how to be a man — how to treat women, what your responsibilities were to your family...to society? Did anyone instill in you a masculine vision, or place before you a code of conduct to work toward?
My buddy, Morgan Cryar, and I were discussing these things and we both thought it would be a good idea to have a time of ceremony and celebration at various milestones in our son’s lives. He gave me a great book, “Raising a Modern-Day Knight” by Robert Lewis. This guy has some great ideas.
On Tyler’s 13th birthday we invited a number of men who are close friends of mine, along with their families, to a celebration at our house. In advance I had these men (and others who lived out of town) write some “words of wisdom” to Tyler to celebrate his “entry into manhood.” These are being bound in a beautiful leather book that he can keep for the rest of his life. It will probably mean more to him years from now.
That night we had the usual finger-foods and small-talk, but then I signaled the men into the dining room where we laid hands on Tyler and each man prayed a prayer of blessing. It was heartfelt and emotional.
A few days later Tyler took Barbi out on a “date.” I had instructed him how to open the door for her, how to seat her, etc. He took her to the nicest restaurant in Nashville...and paid for it himself!
One man gave Tyler a bracelet on that celebration night that read: “Man Of God.” And you know what? That’s what he looked like to me...
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©2000 Terry & Barbi Franklin.