I remember being a college freshman and thinking that I wanted exactly 7 kids. Almost 20 years later, and I'm close to that goal; I have 6 kids, and the youngest FIVE are boys!
As someone who was never a very girly-girl, this suits me just fine, but there hard truths about raising boys that I wasn't really prepared for. Such as:
1. Boys are physical. They can cuddle you to pieces, or break things. Sometimes they break things while cuddling. Case in point, the youngest boys are always wrestling each other. It looks like an extended hug, but involved rolling into furniture and knocking things down. This, it seems is their love language.
2. Boys don't notice dirt. Aside from my one child who is a bit OCD and really likes things a certain way, boys don't see dirt. They play in it, sit in it, sometimes try to scrub it off, but mostly don't care. Even when they are trying very hard by slicking their newly-washed hair back and tucking in their shirts, they somehow missed that they tracked in a giant blob of chicken poo from their shoe into my newly washed dining room. I have some training to do!
3. Boys are buds. The boys are best friends. Yes, as homeschoolers, they do want outside relationships with peers, but are usually content to spend most of their day hanging out. Some of their happiest moments are spent looking at gardening catalogs together on our long couch, dressing up their army guys, or creating comic books as a team.
4. Boys love the women in their lives. I didn't realize how fiercely loving or protective these guys could be. They are also very territorial of their sister. I feel sorry for the day that my 16-year-old daughter meets someone. Things are about to get very, very real around here.
5. Boys are bright. It saddens me that today's society and the school system can sometimes try to "tame" the kind of energy that makes boys brilliant. Their bouncy, inquisitive nature often prevents them from sitting down for long periods of time. It also requires them to blurt out answers to questions or get a bit too animated when defending themselves. These are all the genetic materials, however, that they will some day need to be great men. When their mind is dulled in an attempt to quiet things, a soulful genius is locked away, too.
Do you have boys? What do you love about raising them? Rejoice in their uniqueness and let them know how much you love them -- today!
As someone who was never a very girly-girl, this suits me just fine, but there hard truths about raising boys that I wasn't really prepared for. Such as:
1. Boys are physical. They can cuddle you to pieces, or break things. Sometimes they break things while cuddling. Case in point, the youngest boys are always wrestling each other. It looks like an extended hug, but involved rolling into furniture and knocking things down. This, it seems is their love language.
2. Boys don't notice dirt. Aside from my one child who is a bit OCD and really likes things a certain way, boys don't see dirt. They play in it, sit in it, sometimes try to scrub it off, but mostly don't care. Even when they are trying very hard by slicking their newly-washed hair back and tucking in their shirts, they somehow missed that they tracked in a giant blob of chicken poo from their shoe into my newly washed dining room. I have some training to do!
3. Boys are buds. The boys are best friends. Yes, as homeschoolers, they do want outside relationships with peers, but are usually content to spend most of their day hanging out. Some of their happiest moments are spent looking at gardening catalogs together on our long couch, dressing up their army guys, or creating comic books as a team.
4. Boys love the women in their lives. I didn't realize how fiercely loving or protective these guys could be. They are also very territorial of their sister. I feel sorry for the day that my 16-year-old daughter meets someone. Things are about to get very, very real around here.
5. Boys are bright. It saddens me that today's society and the school system can sometimes try to "tame" the kind of energy that makes boys brilliant. Their bouncy, inquisitive nature often prevents them from sitting down for long periods of time. It also requires them to blurt out answers to questions or get a bit too animated when defending themselves. These are all the genetic materials, however, that they will some day need to be great men. When their mind is dulled in an attempt to quiet things, a soulful genius is locked away, too.Do you have boys? What do you love about raising them? Rejoice in their uniqueness and let them know how much you love them -- today!
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