Hi Beautiful Friends!
So, you just went through the excitement of your gender reveal. The confetti cannons popped, and out came all that BLUE. Ready or not, he is there, and he is coming. If you are like me, I never imagined in my life I would be raising a little boy. I come from a family of 6 kids with 4 girls, and most of us siblings had girls of our own. Before having my kids, I learned everything parenting from the baby girls in my family from changing diapers to tea parties. When I had my daughter, I was ready, at least for the pre-preteen stages and we will talk about that later, but when I had my son, I was not prepared.
Let me tell you a few things I have learned in the past 4 years with my sweet boy. First off there is about to be so much crazy and ridiculous, but you are in for a treat Mama because it is also amazingly full of love.
Rough Play
Boys play so differently than girls do. They are not dainty and sweet or soft and quiet. By nature, boys are rough and loud. Their way of engaging in connecting with their peers is to tackle and growl. Think of animal behavior, it is the same way puppies or even lion cubs play. They do this to show their love and test boundaries or just out of pure curiosity.
They can go from cuddling to ripping their shirt off and hulk smashing the cushions inches away from your face. They do what they do to enhance their superpowers. They just test their newly found abilities and are learning what their bodies are capable of. They don’t mean to hurt anyone, crazy is just their natural state. Instead of trying to stop it every time, I would just let it be if no one is getting hurt. However, I suggest directing that energy somewhere else if you don’t like that kind of rough play. We ended up buying my son a little boxing set with a punching bag and gloves to hulk smash on, though he ended up taking those gloves and hulk smashing on everything except the punching bag.
This roughness is also why durable household items or inexpensive ones are recommended. For example, we refuse to have linen couches or chairs. Everything we have is wipe-able. I don’t want to be in constant worry about having to clean up or anything breaking. Any home can be beautifully decorated and still be boy proof. There needs to be a balance in the items you have and the intentional placing of these items.
Privates Are Not So Private
Boys love their man parts and are not shy about it. For why? I don’t think I will ever understand, but I know it must be a man thing because most grown men are also obsessed with theirs. First, I prefer to tell my kids the anatomical names for their areas. I don’t believe in giving them cute names. It will be our responsibility to teach them they are called private parts for a reason, but it will take a while for that to process in their minds.
Their behavior with their penis is totally normal, even though it can be awkward also. You will see them play with it, attach Legos to it, do the helicopter with it, and you will just shake your head out of wonder. It is ok, let it be. They are learning about their anatomy, and if they aren’t swinging it out in public, who cares.
Now, let’s talk pee…they pee EVERYWHERE. Literally everywhere. Let me just tell y’all, when I was potty training this kid, he preferred to pee in the backyard. He still tries to pull it out to pee in bushes right in front of playgrounds, thankfully I catch him before he does his business. When he pees in the toilet, that thing still goes everywhere. If they get distracted, they will spin their whole-body mid pee and it will splash on everything. Trust me, I have seen it. Clorox wipes next to the toilet will be your best friend.
Energy…so much energy
I don’t have to say much about this. We all know boys are big balls of energy. Direct it somewhere. Have him do sports, ride a bike, jump on a trampoline, anything to release it.
The Grossness
OMG…the grossness of boys is something I was not prepared for. From booger walls to poop fingers, y’all boys are GROSS. There is not much to say in this line either. This was more just a warning that they are icky, and sometimes the things they do will make you question things. Just bathe them daily or at least hose them down in the back and they’ll be fine. Also, maybe try and keep their hands out of your face, you never know where they have been.
The Most Special Person
They are nasty, loud wild animals. They will push every button and make us think about getting our husbands to do the snippy snip fearing for our sanities. They are also the sweetest little humans, who will love you more than anyone else in the world. Boys love their mom’s in the most special way, and I am telling you, no one will make you feel better about yourself than they will. You are their first loves and will love you their entire lives, not even the woman of his dreams can take away. Boys will naturally be protective over you and see you in a way that you could no wrong. They will be rough and tough but at the end of the day, with you, they become the softest, mushiest, cuddliest baby loves you are going to want to hold on to forever.
Mothers and sons hold such a special relationship. Enjoy every bit of the chaos, it will be the sweetest journey.
Mella Wines 