I have learned to never sit on a toilet seat in my own home before checking it to be sure I won’t fall in, or that someone didn’t “sprinkle when they tinkled.” I have learned that grunts and groans and bodily noises are just another way to express yourself. I have learned that anything with wheels can go “vroooom!” and anything round will get thrown and/or hit.
More than that, I have learned that when I used to want a daughter so that I could see myself in her, to have a little person with which to relate all of my childhood joys, and to watch her be her father’s glory, I couldn’t have been more off the mark.
I am a mom to boys. Only boys. Three of them. And yes, I “have my hands full,” it’s very loud at our house, and I do have more than my fair share of ER stories already. Beyond the cliché aspect of having a house full of boys, I have learned so much from them! Because really, boys or girls, they’re all little people just learning life from mom and dad. My boys are at times an enigma to me. Other times, I absolutely love the stereotypical, testosterone-filled craziness.
Tomorrow will be my oldest Monkey’s 6th birthday. I have such a hard time believing that it’s already been six years since we brought him home. But at the same time, I can’t remember what life was like with just me and Popeye. And having three boys has completely surprised me. But only because I’ve seen just how much the stereotypical boy/girl things we relate to each are completely inaccurate.
I have a very sensitive oldest son. I mean, not only sensitive to things that upset him, but also very sensitive and caring toward others. I have a very intense 4 year-old (those of you who have met him know exactly what I mean) who loves any and all sports – especially golf, playing in mom’s heels as well as dad’s work boots, and whose favorite color is pink. And though the youngest has only recently turned two, he is the cuddliest kid I think I’ve ever seen! A Mama’s boy all the way. But at the same time, give these boys a ball or a car/truck toy, and they are set for hours!
I always thought I would have a girl, but you just never know what life will send your way. And I’m okay with that. I’m still learning how to handle these boys, and maybe a little girl would only hate life being the youngest behind three brothers. Maybe God, in his infinite wisdom, knew that I needed to see that the things I wanted most would just as easily be seen in a boy as a girl. After all, my oldest looks just like me in male form. My 4 year-old is the best little buddy who always wants to cook with me, or just to see what I’m doing. And anyone who has seen my husband with our youngest (or any of them) will know that no father has ever gloried in his children more!
