Men Who Won't Grow Up

My father showed me that being a man involves taking responsibility—for your choices, for your family, for your community, and for the next generation. What makes this generation of young men different from previous ones is that many are delaying marriage longer than before, and our culture is encouraging them to prolong adolescent behavior. 

It’s as if these young men have developed a warped idea of manhood.  They think becoming a man means getting to do whatever they want.  So for them, starting a family means giving up their cherished independence.  With that type of mindset, you wonder what type of husbands and fathers they will be when they finally set aside their childish ways.

We live in a culture that celebrates youth and beauty and independence—even at the expense of growing up.  Many young men today immerse themselves in a world of media entertainment and diversions that tell them it’s okay to live a self-centered lifestyle, free of commitments to anything beyond endless and mindless pleasure. 

Young men who refuse to grow up need peers and mentors who will exhort them to act like men. 

Husbands and fathers need to step up and take responsibility for raising the next generation. 

Boys growing up without fathers need men who will step into their lives and mentor them.