Mitch's Tips for Parents

Mentoring at its Best

It's easier for us to treat other people's kids with patience and give their kids firm direction. It even seems the praise we give them goes deeper. It's interesting to see that even as adolescent boys are trying to separate from their parents they really respond to attention from other adults. This is why mentoring works.

We recently did some exercises in middle schools where we trained Dads how to be mentors. The Dads were nervous and afraid they would do the wrong thing and have parents complaining. After an hour of telling them to "be yourself", we were ready. The only rules were that no one was to be with their own son and we could not swear or make sexually derogatory statements.

I spent twenty minutes on qualities of manhood ie; respect, giving it, integrity, living it, dignity, being it. Then we went in for the kill... competition. We conducted a very simple game that challenges the students to work together. They follow the leader which they chose and try to beat the other team. The mentors only give direction when asked or when any rules were being broken.

We saw 11, 12, and 13 year olds, with focus and patience. We saw young men of different backgrounds working together, different races and cultures being successful in working together for a common purpose. We saw computer geeks supporting the jocks. We saw the smallest young man lead his team to victory. He thought no one would ever listen to him. At the end he summed it up "It isn't size that makes you the leader, it is focusing on your team and giving clear directions. Being able to adjust and trusting the team." I wish I had told them all of that. Given the time and space, they realized they already knew it.

This is the best of mentoring...DO IT !!!!