Boy Mom

I am a "girl person". As a girl myself, I understand girls and girl things.  In my family the first four siblings are girls and as a teenager I babysat a family of four girls.  I find little girls to be too cute and precious. I wished with all my might Mary Kate would be a girl. I was thrilled to get to have two girls!

I was glad to have a boy because everyone says you need to have one of them. However, I could not understand why. Of course I would adore him for just being my baby.  But I always thought mothers of boys tolerated all that dreadful boy stuff - cars, balls, trains and later sports and being rowdy. What is to like about mud and wrestling?

Much to my surprise I find joy in the "boyishness"! Joy from the complete delight my boy has when doing and seeing these boy things. He has been parented in mostly the same way as the girls (except I am older and wiser so he does things such as slide over the sofa, which would never have been allowed with the girls). But he is drawn to balls and playing outside. Playing outside was a punishment for the girls. For him playing outside is a sure cure for a meltdown.

Seeing the world through a little boy's eyes has been an unexpected pleasure. It is not better or worse than a girl's perspective, merely different. I am truly grateful to experience both.