To the Mums With the Boys That Make Us Crazy and Melt our Hearts. This One's for You

Boys Can be Calm

My little guy is as active as they come, but he isn't that kid that needs to destroy everything in sight. Hallelujah! He wasn't jumping all over the furniture and drawing on walls. Well, he did draw on the back of my white chair with ink. Pro tip: hairspray gets it out. And yes, they can also be bat-sh*t crazy. And guess what? That's OK. If you have a thrill-seeking, adventurous boy, take the opportunity to adventure with him. Go see the world through his eyes. He wants to go catch snakes? Go for it. If we give them some goalposts to stay between and support their curiosities, we've done our job. But maybe if they are quiet for too long. Run, don't walk, because they may just be wielding a sharpie too close to that cream wall.

Boys Do Cry

And they should. If you have a sensitive boy with big emotions, then just like our little girls, they should be given space to express them. If we want to raise emotionally well-adjusted, confident, and resilient men/fathers, it starts with us. Right now. If we can allow them the space to work through the emotional roller-coaster that is life, with us as a safe place to land, maybe, just maybe, their future partners won't talk smack behind our back. While you are at it, teach them how to boil an egg and turn on the washing machine. Speaking from experience, that would be appreciated. Yes, I'm looking at you, dear MIL. 

Boys are Messy

They pee on the seat and the floor, and they don't see the mess that is literally right in front of them. It's like their eyes don't work the same as ours. I want to ask the science people - I believe that's what they are called - to run a study on all men in general on this one. They will leave chip bags in their beds, lego all over their floor, and half-eaten sandwiches in their room for a week. Um, bugs, anyone? And when you point it out: deer in headlights. 

And I Wouldn’t Have it Any Other Way

Despite all this, being a boy mum is my life's most rewarding, heart-melting experience. Remember that one day, he won't insist on wearing his superhero costume to school. He won't question every rule you enforce. He won't throw a fit because he lost the board or football games. He won't ask you to play catch with him in the backyard. And he won't ask you to rub his back so he can fall asleep. My guy truly is a mama's boy, and I get choked up at the thought of him growing up and leaving me. I wonder if he will still call when he's off to uni? Will he come around with his family when he has one someday? Will he approve of the kind of mum I was? All we can do is love our little guys and let them be who they are – mess and all – and hope we've done an alright job. But his future partner will not have it easy because I can already tell you, no one will be good enough for my little guy. OK, well maybe if they make him come home on the holidays, I will welcome them into the fold.