I Will Never Be a Boy Mom

Whether you waited until your baby was born, found out with a blood test, had a fancy gender reveal party, or found out in an ultrasound, I think all moms would agree that finding out the gender of your baby is one of the most exciting parts of pregnancy. It’s a moment full of anticipation and sometimes an unspoken wish for a particular result. You imagine what life might be like with either outcome.

Before I had kids, my idea of the “perfect” family was to have one boy and one girl. However, my opinion quickly changed when I had twin girls. I fell in love with being a girl mom and the sweet sister bond my girls share. I had a hard time imagining anything better.

When my husband and I decided to have a third child, I think some people wrongly assumed it was because we were trying to have a boy. I get it. It was a natural assumption to make especially since we plan on this third baby being our last. But having a boy was not our goal. Our family members all had opinions on what the baby would be, and I used everything from old wives’ tales to the Chinese calendar to try to figure it out. The moment of truth came at our sixteen-week ultrasound. When the ultrasound showed that we were having another girl, my status as a forever girl mom was set.

I expected to feel disappointed, but I didn’t.

Honestly, I was thrilled. Sure, it was a little strange to accept that I would never be a boy mom, but I wasn’t sad. Maybe it’s because I have never experienced having a boy, but I can honestly say that being a mom to only girls is more than fine with me. I am excited for my girls to have another sister. I have two sisters of my own so I know firsthand how special the sister relationship can be. I don’t feel like I am missing out on anything or that our family will be less complete now.

I love all the stereotypical things that go along with being a girl mom, but there is so much more to it. Kids rarely fall into those old-fashioned gender stereotypes anymore. Yes, I can tell you the name and backstory of every Disney princess, have mastered painting tiny fingernails, and wear old bridesmaid dresses to play princess ball like a pro. But we also dig in the dirt, build train tracks, and play superheroes. My girls love to watch UT sports and often ask which day the Vols will play again.

Girl mom life is not always fun because motherhood in general is never easy. I think there is a misconception that somehow raising girls is easier than raising boys. Well, I am here to tell you, it’s not all tea parties and princesses and tutus. It’s also tantrums, skinned knees and trips to the urgent care because you’re raising tiny daredevils. In my experience, little girls can be just as wild and messy and loud as any little boy, but they can also be just as sweet, polite, and loving too.

I feel it’s an exciting time to be raising girls. Those glass ceilings are being shattered everywhere. We are about to have our first female Vice President and little girls have role models the likes of Dolly Parton to look up to. “You can be anything you want to be” is no longer a worn-out cliché; it’s becoming a reality. Girl moms can encourage our daughters to dream big.

I definitely don’t have many of the stereotypical “woman” skills to pass on to my tiny girl tribe. I have never been a great cook or the person with the spotless house. Also, at age 32, I am still unsure of the correct way to apply makeup. However, I do hope I can show them that being a strong woman has nothing to do with any of that stuff. I want to raise women who will care more about their character than how they look, and who will never fall into the “mean girl” category.

So, while I know some moms with boys will read this and disagree, I think being a girl mom is as good as it gets.