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Jun 14, 2011

Raising Boys

Raising little boys,
is a totally different experience
than raising little girls.

Not that I have any experience raising little girls.
I can only view them from over the 'boy' fence.
And believe me, it looks different!
They are playing...
The boys in my yard are not playing.
They are either trying to kill something,
trying to destroy something,
trying to kill each other,
throwing balls through the window to see what happens,
trying to kill each other,
tying their little brother up and cramming him in the dog house,
seeing who can come closest to hitting each other with their BB guns,
trying to kill each other...Oh, did I already say that?
I guess it's first thing I think of when I think of
little boys playing in the backyard.

I am exaggerating a little, of course...
I had the BB guns put away in a locked cupboard!
And they did one time tape their little brother up with duct tape.
I don't know what bothered me more...
The fact that they would do that...
Or the fact that he was enjoying it.
And where was I while this was going on??

You know the poem:

What are little boys made of?
Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails
That's what little boys are made of.
Very true...
And often, they have also sampled many of these delicacies!

Raising boys is not for the faint hearted!
Are you listening, Heather???
(This is for my daughter-in-law who probably thinks she's gonna have a girl, but will be sorely disappointed!)
Raising boys is an adventure!
It's amazing what they can think up when left on their own.
(Which I don't suggest, but happens occasionally when Mom is sick)

Adam decided to make fake blood, spread it all over himself, and start crying like he had been hurt.
He was hurt by the time all was said and done!

Or the time Alex got one of my nylons, put it over his head to scare the fire out of his little brother.
What he scared out of him was definitely not fire!
.
If I had the opportunity to go back and change things...
I wouldn't.
I feel special because I have had all boys.
I've become tougher.
When you have boys, you learn that certain things are not such a big deal.

Like when they give their little brother a worm to eat...
Or when they spread mentholatum all over the wall...
Or when they light a firecracker in a pat of butter on the back porch to see what will happen.

There are so many great things about boys.
When they come in from outside, muddy, torn clothes...
Smelling like they've been riding on the back of the wind...
(I love the smell of a little boy who has been playing outside)
Excited about the snake they found, or the fort they made.
Knowing that all these things, all these activities are making a man out of a boy.
After all, I fell in love with a man who was once a boy.

5 comments:

  1. Aww. That's so sweet.
    But I smelled a little boy's head after he was playing outside several times, and it smelled like poop. SO I don't get what you like about that...

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  2. I wouldn't trade my boys for anything. They are amazing and I agree with everything you said... every day is a new and wonderful adventure.

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  3. Love this :D I have three girls, and one boy. I used to think I wanted all boys, but now...I've changed my mind. One keeps me plenty busy!!! I love him to death though, boys have such a different way of looking at life :D

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  4. In the end God knows just what each of us needs, doesn't He?

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  5. I have 2 boys and 1 girl....and I have to say that I would rather raise 1000 boys again before EVER having to raise a girl. I guess maybe I say that because growing up I only had 1 brother. And I followed him around climbing trees, shooting guns, (and him shooting me with the BBgun), etc..and most of my best friends growing up were boys. I love my daughter but boys are sooooo much fun!!!!!

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