What does it take to be a man?

Yep, I just asked that... I didn't raise a child to find out he doesn't have what it takes to be a man.

What does that mean?  

The opinion of some people I use to talk to;

"A boy should fear an adult, it's how they learn respect."   "A boy shouldn't cry or show his emotions."  "A boy should be treated like a king by many women at one time."   A story told to one of my boys .. from someone who thought it was a joke, about a young bull and an old bull.  The young bull wanted to run down a hill and mate with one of the cows... the old bull responded with "no, let's walk down and mate with them all."  *(in case you are wondering, the word "mate" is used in replace of what the other person felt was acceptable to use) 

I sat there, my jaw down quickly correcting this, scolding the man who thought it was funny.   I shake my head knowing full well what is out there, wondering if those who teach their boys these principles .. do they have a daughter?  If the answer is yes, I fear for their daughters safety.  

I constantly stand with a picture in my head.  I'm in a box, with a bat leaning outside ready for me to use.  The box represented how some men see a woman.  Kept.  The bat represented what I would use to knock those comments out.  

What does it take to be a man?  Here's my humble and honest opinion. 

A man WILL show his emotions and all of them, without hurting anyone around them, being honest and humble.  

A man WILL treat a woman as he treats his mother.  (Hopefully with respect and love and not out of fear.)

A man WILL not connect fear with respect.  

My mother instilled in me some strong beliefs.  If I were blind, could I judge someone by their color?  If they bled, would it be the same as mine?  Yes.  

I hope that I've instilled enough in my children to be better than me.  To become a good, strong men who love openly, respects and not encourage fear.  I hope my 2 sons have compassion and love, understanding and empathy.  If my life were to end today, I hope I've left this world a better place by crawling out of the box and using the bat.  

Better yet, let's stop using "to be a better man" and start using "to be a better person".