What do you teach your boy(s) about masculinity?

I’ve been noticing my husband spend a lot of time with our 8 year old boy lately. Our 8 year old is the oldest of 3 (technically 4 because I’m pregnant again) and so far he’s the only boy.He’ll do things like have Jayden help him cook, have Jayden help him work on his motorcycle or truck, and just this morning he had. Jayden help him get started on the garden (we just moved into a new house in a new state a few days ago).So I listened to them talk together while I was feeding the toddlers.And while I can’t directly quote everything he said I can hit a few highlights.He told Jayden that he needs to start thinking a lot about growing into a young man. He told him that over the next few years of his life he’s going to have many people trying to tell him what a “man” is but most of them will be wrong.He said being a man starts with being a generally good person. Be honest, be kind, be helpful, be diligent, be responsible, be empathetic. But after you’ve got those things down, being a “man” is more of an art than a science.He listed a few things people will sometimes think are too effeminate for men. Like ballet, gymnastics, dance...he went on with examples like that.Jayden then said that he liked the stuff he’s done with his dad. The car stuff, the motorcycle stuff, the landscaping stuff etc.And my husband told him that all of that is totally fine, but to always know that he’s choosing to be that specific kind of a man and he should never look down on anyone who chooses another path.He specifically said “It is okay to be macho. It is okay to be soft spoken. It is okay to be artsy. But no matter what you do, be good enough at it.”Jayden: “How good is good enough.”Husband: “If you can’t teach it to someone else, you’re not good enough yet.”I just thought this was a very interesting conversation. I feel very happy that my husband is teaching our son a healthy masculinity.What are your thoughts? What have you taught/do you teach your boys about masculinity? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2ESEaHl