#903: Don’t Ask

When your son is upset, “How are you feeling?” might not be the right question.

Boys are simply not wired to connect words with feelings. While the female brain has verbal centers in both the left and right hemispheres– allowing girls to use words to process feelings— males only have verbal centers on the left side of their brain.

This is why boys tend to not “talk it out” when they are upset, but instead turn to an unrelated activity, like video games or sports, to process big emotions.

So the next time your son is angry or frustrated, engage him in physical activity, like walking the dog or kicking a soccer ball around the yard. You can be confident he’ll return feeling much calmer.

For more ideas on raising boys to be godly men, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.