10 Things Your Son Needs In 2023: a short list of how to boost his happiness

January is tough. The Christmas excitement and the New Year’s drinking is over. All we are left with are hangovers, love handles and grey drizzly skies. And the January of 2023 is extra bleak: with the economy the way it is, I’m sure I’m not the only one to have felt the sting of Christmas extra hard this year. But even with the stock markets in turmoil, there’s one investment you can still work on. So what does your son need in 2023?

Your son needs to know how powerful he really is, and what he is capable of, to gain the confidence he needs to excel and enjoy life. Above all he needs to be happy and healthy, and these empowering 10 needs will do that. Put him on the path to becoming an unstoppable man!

What does your son need in 2023?

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1. To go outside

Number 1 on the list, and not by accident, is to get your children out of the house and into nature as often as you can. Children need to run wild and free outdoors, and some of the other tips lead directly from it. So don’t worry about the January wind and rain. Get them out in it!

It’s predicted that two-thirds of all humans will live in cities by 2050. Consider that the concept of a city, especially as we know them today, would be as alien as a civilisation on Mars to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Cities have been around for around 6000-7000 years(1), with humans only really beginning to settle in permanent habitations around 4000-6000 years before that. That leaves a gap of around 190,000 years where we (homo-sapiens specifically) were roaming the open plains, mountain ranges and forests of the world. And before that our ancestor species were doing the same for up to 2 million years(2). What’s my point? We are designed to be outside! Wild!

Reasons to get your son outside

Spending time in nature is good for mental health
Being around trees de-stresses and promotes sleep
Breathing clean air increases serotonin and feelings of happiness

2. To feel the Earth beneath his feet

The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art
Leonardo da Vinci

Your son’s feet are incredible structures. Walking barefoot has a multitude of benefits including improving his physical development and the growth of the brain. It also allows him to experience grounding (or earthing). This is where he draws from the free electrons in the earth and neutralise damaging molecules in his tissues. This reduces inflammation, stress and pain and improves blood flow and energy.

Read here to learn more about grounding and the benefits of being barefoot

Struggling to wean them off shoes? Minimalist shoes were found to be just as good at boosting size and strength of foot muscles as dedicated foot exercise programmes(3).

VIVOBAREFOOT is a company I have loved for over 10 years. They really care about the rewilding of children for their health and wellbeing. For when shoes are necessary, and you want to look good (normal/ dateable), they are the best thing to wear. They also have a childrens range of casual and school shoes. I’m not a Vivo affiliate, I just really love and recommend the brand. By using the links below I will get a small commission from amazon- which I’ll probably use to buy my son another pair of Vivo school shoes.

3. Sunlight

None of us would be here without that big orange ball in the sky. It’s no wonder it’s been worshiped by humans as far back as we can imagine. Where I live in the UK, and all over the world, there are constant reminders of our ancestors’ obsession with the sun in things like stone circles and burial sites that are aligned with it at various times of the year.

Modern living has caused us to lose some of our fascination with the sun, now that we can stay inside, warm and illuminated at all hours of the day and night. And with the rise in technology and many changes in industries, a lot of us are spending more time indoors than ever. So what’s the need for us to break out of the cycle of home-car-work-car-home?

Sunlight is our major source of vitamin D, which is essential for your son and his proper statural growth, his immune system, and his cognitive development.

4. Nasal breathing

No one wants to be known as a ‘mouth breather.’ I was one when I was younger and there’s a multitude of problems that came along with it, some affecting me until my adult life. Problems like:

facial structure development
bad teeth
insomnia
stress
social problems
constant blocked nose
asthma

5. To dangle

We owe many qualities to our hunter ancestors. The way they lived for hundreds of thousands of years shaped what makes us healthy and happy today. Going back further, to the great apes we are related to, we are going to look at our shared shoulders.

Spending time hanging (by your arms) is known as brachiating. It has benefits for the strength and mobility of your son’s shoulder, as well as posture and circulation.

6. To eat like a human

Throughout the vast majority of our history, going back at least 2 million years, optimal humans have subsisted on a diet of animal meat, fat and organs almost exclusively(4). As a result, that is the food that we require to be at our best.

Isn’t meat bad for us?
Aren’t we designed to eat plants?
What meat should my son eat?

Subscribe to the Son of Man newsletter to find the answers.

Read here to learn how meat is essential for your son’s brain development.

Read here to learn about the many benefits of red meat.

7. To be comfortable being uncomfortable

“Don’t confuse comfort with happiness”
Dean Karnazes

When I was 19 and going through a particularly difficult and stressful time in my life, a wise old man perched on top of a mountain (honestly) looked down at my exhausted form and said, “Remember. Nothing worth having comes easy.” Those words stuck with me, and everytime something seems difficult or scary, I think about what it could lead to.

This is a quality I want to pass on to my son, and one that I feel isn’t given enough credit, especially for young men. One of the most important qualities, in my opinion, is self-confidence. And one tried and tested (at least on myself) method of gaining self confidence is to put yourself in difficult situations.

8. To get dirty

I’ve already discussed ‘earthing’. But I want to talk about another reason to keep your son’s shoes off and let him splash about in mud, or dig a hole with his toes on the beach, And the reason isn’t even anything “out there” or “weird”. It’s purely for his health. We all want our children to grow up healthy. Well, what better way to put them on the right path than to give them a powerful immune system. One of the best ways to do that is to let them build it themselves. By getting dirty.

9. Gratitude

In psychology research, gratitude is associated consistently with greater happiness. The act of feeling grateful and appreciating something can improve your life in a number of ways. It helps people:

Feel more positive emotions
Relish good experiences
Improve overall health
Effectively deal with adversity
Build strong relationships

10. To Roar!

Let your son show himself, and the world, how powerful he is. Don’t hold him back. Give him the health, happiness and confidence to forge his path, let him go, and watch with pride and satisfaction. Let him run through the woods, roll in the meadows, splash in the streams and roar at the top of his voice.