Thank You to the Nice Boys

I know that boys can take a lot of smack sometimes, especially in Provo (and anytime there's a General Authority around.) If you only listen to the negative, you would be convinced that all young single adult males are

• Self-centered and unwilling to commit in relationships
• Engrossed in technology and incapable of personal communication
• Addicted to pornography

But I believe in good people. I believe that the people I know and associate with are genuinely interested in becoming better men. So I would just like to give a little credit where credit is due, but rarely expressed: Here's to the nice boys.

To the boys who treat my sister like gold. You don't know how much that means to me to know she has good friends who value her and care about her.

To the boys who told me they won't date girls who wear bikinis, because they don't want their daughters dressing that way.

To the boys who don't watch R-rated movies.

To the boys who notice the girls who feel left out or shy, and try to make them feel comfortable. Simply put, we notice and it does matter.

To the boys who volunteer but don't tell you about it.

To the boys who aren't afraid to say kind things and tell you you're beautiful- even though they have a girlfriend. (I still haven't deleted that voicemail.)

To the boys to whom home teaching means much more than an end-of-the-month Ensign message.

To the boys who take the outside of the sidewalk or make sure you get home safely.

To the boys who ask you whom they should serve or who could use a little extra love.

To the boys who politely discourage other people from swearing at football games.

To the boys who are generous with a spare jacket- or suit coat, come Sunday morning.

To the boys who will listen to your breakdown when they have better things to do.

To the boys who read their scriptures every day.

To the boys who call their moms.

This is my brother, Tyler. He is a junior in high school, 16 years old, and I am proud to say one of the best boys I have ever had the privilege to know. He helps my two youngest sisters with their math homework. He'll take Tori along with him places and put his arm around her when they're talking to their friends. This past week he let Megan finish the Hunger Games series before him without trying to steal it when she wasn't reading. (This is even more impressive if you know my family's struggle with readership hierarchy.)

Meet the boys of my old Primary class! They're all Megan's age so they're all in Young Men's now, but this is how I remember them. Apparently, they had a slight reputation for being rowdy... but we had so much fun! :) And they would kill me for saying it, but they are seriously SO. precious. I adore them.

I like to think that the kind of people I spend my time with now are the kind of people I want them to be like in just a few more years. The nice boys.