Life with Boys

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I have had 2 boys for 4.4 years now. It is funny that most of my friends have girls. Multiple girls, at that! I often wonder what it would be like to have girls. So if you DO have girls and have ever wondered what it would be like to have BOYS, here is what I have learned so far:

-Even without them ever having been exposed to violent shows on TV or violent friends, boys are by nature a bit violent. Sticks turn into swords. Straws turn into swords. Heck, anything that is longer than 6" turns into a sword, and they can even make things shorter than that turn into a sword. (This did not happen until after year 3 for my son, although now little brother has promptly followed suit)

-Boys are competitive. Especially if they have a brother. For the past 2 months, every time we have pulled into the driveway, it is a RACE to see who can get out of the car first and knock on the door first. Backpacks and toys are strewn across the front lawn in this race to the "finish line" - the front door. Time outs are given daily for pushing, shoving and hitting to see who can "win." I am looking forward to this phase ending sometime in the near future.

-Boys love to throw things. No gentle play here. They want to see how far their pitch is, and they want to see the results of their throw: the more bounce, the more dents in the wall, the more people the item hits along the way all mean more points to them. I was with a friend at the beach one day (who has a little girl) and she could not understand why Micah would not sit still and build sandcastles in the sand with her daughter. Sitting still in the sand? Um, nope. Not for a boy. They want to be chasing waves, making mud moats around the castle, and throwing sand to see the wind catch it and hear people scream when it hits them in the eyes.

-Boys are FULL of energy. They can't sit still long enough for a tea party. Their play involves "action", full of battles, fighting and cars crashing.

-Boys LOVE being messy!! The more mud, the better.  Let's not just color in the lines, let's color all over our bodies, too!!

-Boys are fascinated with Superheros, Transformers, Ninjas, Guns, Army guys, Army tanks, Wrestling, and Astronauts EVEN IF THESE ARE NOT IN THE HOUSE OR ON TV! That is one of the strangest things to me. My boys have ever only watched PBS Kids, The Wiggles, and Thomas the Train. Yet somehow, when we're out and about, we will walk by a window with a Transformer ad in it, and suddenly that's all they talk about. Suddenly they are pretending their toys are Transformers, and they are pretending to BE Transformers. How did that happen? How did they know?!

-Boys love girls. At least my boys do. Oy. Micah still has a crush on a classmate that started over a year ago. He blushes when we mention her name, prays for her at night, and sticks his whole hand in his mouth when we see her (don't ask - I think it's a nervous habit) :)

I was honestly afraid to be a mom of boys. I didn't want my boys to get hurt, play rough, or be exposed to these things. But thankfully they still have not had any broken bones, I watch them carefully, and still try to protect them from all the violence in the outside world. They are learning how to be boys, and we are trying to teach them how to not hurt others and be considerate of others' feelings.  These boys have taught me how to love better, because they are so loving to me.

One thing I can say about having boys is that each day is truly an adventure, full of lots of fun, and there is rarely a dull moment!!

Here are some great books on raising boys:

(Case in Point: When Micah saw me adding this picture to my blog, he said "I wanna buy that sword sometime!")