Last week you all completely cracked me up with some of the stuff your boys have said to you…I think I pretty much laughed all day. Thank you for that, friends – it was the most-read post here at Mommy on Fire ever.
Before my husband and I decided that I would stay home with our blossoming brood of children, I taught elementary school for ten years.
It’s typical for teachers to get labeled according to their specialty. For example, my friend Jen was a great reading teacher therefore she often had several struggling readers placed in her class. Behavior problems went to a strict but loving teacher who was “no-nonsense.” Children talented in the arts went to the creative. artsy teacher. And so on.
Somehow along the way, I was presented with the label of “good with high energy little boys.” I often found myself with a class of – you guessed it…squirrely little boys.
Luckily, I didn’t have children at the time and could go home and fall face-first into my bed.
I guess I always assumed we would have all girls when we started to have children – my husband was raised by a single mom and as a dentist, he’s surrounded by female hygienists and assistants. He always joked that he was predestined to have only girls and I guess I just bought into that idea as well.
Sarah was born first and we seemed to be on our way to fulfilling that prophecy – our line of girls had begun.
So 18 months later when I found myself pregnant with our second child, I kind of just assumed it would be a girl.
“It’s a….” the ultrasound technician said while moving that wand around my growing stomach. “Hmmm…I can’t see,” she continued.
“Of course she can’t see because it’s a girl,” I think.
“It’s a boy” the technician exclaimed excitedly.
Wearing a plastic smile, I finished the rest of my appointment and scurried to my car. Immediately, I called my mom.
“It’s a boy, mom” I shared. “I don’t know what to do with a boy.”
And that’s when it hit me – He was preparing me.
Isn’t He so funny sometimes?
And so we rejoiced when rough-and-tumble Samuel arrived and I marveled at the difference. The activity. The deeper-toned babbles. The fascination with all things wheels at five months.
When he was six months old, I found myself feeling like I was getting back to being me. I had lost much of the baby weight and I was adapting to life with two young children under three.
And then I got a bad case of the flu. That wouldn’t go away.
That flu virus was our third child, Spencer. Another boy.
And those boys are 15 months apart.
“No, they’re not officially twins but yes, they are”, I reply to the question I’m asked practically every day.
And while I might not have chosen to have a home with more testosterone than estrogen, I’m grateful for God’s plan for our family – I wouldn’t want it any other way.
I’ve learned much about being a mom to both genders but today I’ll share the Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Having Boys…
10. Uninhibited joy is their motto. Feel like dropping trou in the front yard to run through the sprinkler? Think nothing of it.
9. I’ve learned to identify every kind of truck ever made. Put me on a gameshow and I’ll win it, baby.
8. Their belly laughs are loud and contagious – you can’t help but join ’em.
7. I’ve become a pro at answering questions like “Mommy, where’s your penis?”
6. Their communication style is direct and to the point. For example, I might say “Stop pulling the dog’s tail. Now,” in a firm voice accompanied by the “mom look” and they usually stop. If I start to explain why they shouldn’t pull poor Ellie’s tail and how it’s not showing respect to our animals, their eyes glaze over and they begin to drool. On the other hand, my daughter is game to discuss every detail – down to the anatomy of the dog’s tail for crying out loud.
5. A simple bucket of water balloons can offer hours of entertainment.
4. What is it with this innate desire to urinate outside? And yet I love that they know where that special corner is in our backyard…
3. After bath snuggles on the couch with fresh-smelling boys clad in Superhero jammies I’m in heaven.
2. Intense interest in snakes. And mummies. And outer space. And anything else that qualifies in the nonfiction department and is “super cool.”
1. Being asked “Mommy, when I grow up, will you marry me?” Even if it does indeed come from our youngest who is a bit of a brown-noser, I still melt. Every time.
And while I still fall into my bed face-first at the end of the day, there’s no greater joy than hearing the giggles of those boys and that one little girl who’s become very tough…
What about you? What do you love about having boys?
I love knowing what every piece of heavy machinery is called. My house has become a jungle gym and my life is ruled by locating/keeping track of the fleet of airplanes that must accompany my 2 year old boy to bed. I love the high energy, loud, dirty little boy in my life and I’m praying for 2 more.
Yep, I love ’em, too. They completely make me laugh.
I’m learning about heavy machinery, too, and I have to also say “Awesome! That’s so cool, dude” when we discuss them…:)
I have one little boy who is 3 and I am set to welcome our second little boy any day now. I am so excited…I always knew I would be a mom of boys! I love the energy level and the never ending play with any kind of sports ball. He also loves the drums and musical instruments, so needless to say there is never a quiet moment in our house. Thank you for sharing about your family!
OH another one I forgot – all things sports balls! YES.
Congratulations on that new baby coming – stop by and let us know when he arrives? Hang in there, mama!
I thought I was destined to have girls too! I grew up with 4 sisters, the sixth child was a baby brother for me. My eldest sister has 3 girls, my youngest sister had a girl first, and my middle sister had a boy first. I also have a daughter the first time, but I was shocked when the ultrasound showed that I was having a boy this time! He is a newborn and looks just like his sister did. The thing I enjoy most right now in their difference is that he sleeps during the night because when my daughter was a newborn she cried 24/7 during the night! So hopefully one day I will be enjoying what you already are!
ThaiHoa, welcome to the club of “Moms of Boys”! SO fun – you will laugh often. True of both genders but they seem to come more frequently with boys…At least in our house…
LOVE those babies that sleep through the night – my first two cried 24/7 which is why when I found out Spencer was coming when Samuel was just 6 months old, I sat down on the floor and cried.
God just knew because Spencey was an angel baby. :) Makes a BIG difference, doesn’t it?
i love that all 3 of my boys who are 7,5,and 3 do not have the ability to walk…and by that i mean the run EVERYWHERE!!! and the youngest always at full speed!! i love that they are all 3 totally fascinated with Legos…and that i have also now found a deep love for them!! i love that they too all like to curl up on the couch and snuggle with me…they arent too cool for that yet! i love that they still love to be read to, whether its by me or their older brother. all in all i love everything there is to love about boys! :D
OH, good one, Tara! How on earth could I have forgotten that one?
YES. They don’t walk. Ever. I always say that my boys go from 0-60 mph then 60-0 mph. There’s no in between.
Hence why I fall flat on my face into my bed each night…:)
I am blessed to be Mom of one of each but I’d be the first to say, these sons, no matter their age, (mine is 35) always hold a different spot in their Moms heart than the daughters. No more important, no more loved, just different. I now enjoy a Grandson and Granddaughter and it’s like living a replay of raising their Dad and Mom. So, so much fun! Blessings for this day!
Agreed. Completely. I see it already.
I love them both equally but it is different. A good different.
I feel so blessed to have the mama to both genders…
I’m with you on this one 110%! I love my boys. When my fourth came along people were constantly saying to me, “you are finally going to get that girl!” I would smile, but I secretly wanted another boy. After heading to the track to ride dirt bikes all these years and then have to change it up and go to a dance recital? Nah, I’ll just stay with dirt thank you very much. And when he came out to be my baby boy I was so happy! Yip, love those boys!
Yep, stick with what’s easy, right? I get it. And can you picture those three older brothers at the dance recital? Makes me giggle just thinking about it. God spared you, sister. :)
Funny one today, my son and his wife have three boys and oh they are so different than our daughters three girls. Boys are boys and you just have to realize they will be wild and crazy and rough and just full of energy, John Eldredges book wild at heart helped me realize the ‘heart of a boy’ you might want to read it.
I’ve read it Sharon and I LOVE it! It really made me understand my husband as well. Have you read Captivating by his wife? Good stuff, too.
Yes, rough and full of energy. Amen.
I love it that in the space of time it took me to read this post, Ollie consumed two bowls of cereal, whilst humming and swaying in his chair asking me repeated questions about the pictures in the margin of this blog. I love it that I had to re-read sections because of the questions and requests for more food. I love it that my sweet boy still gets giddy when I say, “What time is it?” And he affectionately responds, “Mommy-Ollie time!!!!” I love it when one of his buddies claims that Ollie hit him on accident, and Ollie insists that it was on purpose. ;)
You just completely made me crack up – though it was Ollie insisting it was an accident and Spencer, the offender who said it was on purpose. It’s usually switched but not with these two…
Makes perfect sense actually.
The snowman cupcakes arrived with only one of them faceplanting on to another. Just thought you’d want to know…
I absolutely love this. Like you, my #2 was also a boy and I wasn’t happy about it. But not so much because I didn’t know what to do with him, but because I grew up with two little brothers who always peed all over the bathroom floor and I have horrible memories of my mother down on her hands and knees for the cleaning up.
Both my boys know how to scrub bathroom floors.
My fave thing about having boys as opposed to girls (I have two of each) is that the use of public restrooms (and the utter disgust that this entails) is a non-issue. Amen, and amen.
Amy, so fun to see your beautiful face here!
Umm…at what age did you start having them scrub the floors? Just askin’…
And I’m SO with you on the public restroom thing. Yuck. However, at this stage in the game, my boys put their hands ALL OVER the bathroom even after I tell them repeatedly not to do so. Therefore, I think they likely emerge with more germs on their person than my daughter and I do.
One day…:)
Oh yes, number one gets me every time!
Isn’t it the best? I will be so very sad when he decides he doesn’t want to marry me…Is that twisted?
I was totally laughing out loud at #10!! And #6 pretty much goes for most males in general — even after they’ve grown up (which is what I appreciate about them so much). My son is the best hugger ever, and he can always win me over when he flashes his super cute dimples at me. :)
And the call-outs are so different! “Isabel, please include your friend in your play. Don’t leave your shoes in the middle of the floor. Pick up the books from the table” BUT “Noah, no, we don’t pull on our friends’ shirts. No, we don’t jump from the top of the stairs. Please don’t throw the ball in the house. Don’t chase the dog with your remote control car!”
I feel like I spend my day patrolling to make sure he does not break a bone or something else! :)
My how I love boys! Especially mine (; What other of God’s creation could melt my heart with sweet compliments like “I love your dress, mommy” or “I love watching you clean the toilet”!! Only then to have dirt thrown in my hair, ice cubes down my shirt and a fat lip from wrastlin! How boring my life would be without car talk, peeing in “unusual” places and of course real tears over a lost lego sword! I’m glad to be the only princess in this castle of knights… even if I am a “damsel in distress!”
Growing up as an only child, our home was quiet, calm and orderly (full of love – but still quiet, calm and orderly). I would LOVE going to friends’ homes . . . the ones with siblings. Their homes were loud, crazy and wild. Their homes seemed so full of life and fun. I dreamed and prayed for a home like that . . . full of life and fun . . . loud, crazy and wild. My home now? I am the mommy of 3 boys (ages 5, 4 and 1)! That home, the one full of life and fun, I’ve got it. God answered my prayers; he certainly has a great sense of humor!
They never cease to make me laugh, not just a smirk but a deep belly bustin’ tears running out of my eyes laugh. The things they say, the creative play they invent, the mischief they create – hands down the greatest entertainment!! I am forced to see life through a completely different perspective. I would never stop to examine manure at the farm, or ride on every mower at the hardward store, or whistle whenever we see a train, but I’m learning to appreciate the pieces I’ve been walking right by.
The hugs. Most definitely the hugs. My girls give fantastic ones, but no one hugs like my boy!
Yes, and you are about to get ANOTHER one! YAY – can’t wait to hear about that baby BOY!!!
I loved reading this list, and everyone’s comments. My little guy is only 5 months, and I look forward to finding out what kind of personality he will have :) I always pictured myself having a girl, but I couldn’t be happier with my little dude!
I hope my son one day asks me to marry him! that is ADORABLE! I have 1 boy…we’ll see what happens next!
Oh, I’m smiling… I love being the mommy of a boy!
Thank you, sweet friend!
i have two little boys i was worried that when i had baby number 2 my two yr old would get jealous and hurt his brother like my sister in law did to my husband when he came home… but nope kaden loves baby holden and won’t let anyone else kiss him… i love my kaden’s sad face completely silly with full extended lower lip… i love kaden’s willingness take take things to the trash for mommy.
I love having a boy but your comments about boys do nothing to dispel gender stereotypes. It’s too bad they perpetuate the myth that boys are “wild, dirty, loud, don’t like to discuss details..” etc. etc. Hogwash. My son is six. He isn’t wild. He doesn’t play in the dirt. He doesn’t have a desire to pee outside (unless we are on a road trip and he’s desperate). He’s not loud and out-of-control. He’s thoughtful, caring, he asks questions about everything and wants to know details. He likes to read, he’s talkative and he has no interest in guns, snakes, mummies etc. None whatsoever. What a shame that you felt the need to perpetuate gender stereotypes instead of illustrating that boys are not all made from the same cloth, just like girls are not.
That’s awesome, Mom of a boy! My mission in writing this post wasn’t to dispel stereotypes but rather to share what I have learned since becoming the mother of a boy. My boys are, in fact, every single one of those items listed – but that’s MY list. Your list would be entirely different and that’s OK! There’s nothing wrong with not agreeing and I completely see that not all boys are created equal – stereotype or not.
Your son sounds precious – and mine are as well. They’re just precious in a very different way! :) Nonetheless, thanks for your insight!