BOYS BECOME MEN

Correct.  Boys become men.  I know several men.  Quite a few of them are my friends.  I even married a man.  They’re not so bad.  But before they became men they were BOYS!!!

Ooooh!.  There’s that dreaded word.  Boys!  Why doesn’t anyone like boys?   I am a mother of two boys.  I often get asked whether or not I will have another baby and before I’m given the chance to respond I am met with with, “Oh but you don’t want to end up with THREE boys!  They’re so much hard work”.

Yes they are.  They are indeed hard work.  But they grow up into men.  No-one seems to condemn men with as much vigour.  Well maybe just a little bit.

Why is this gender condemned from the get go?

My first son is currently a handful.  He doesn’t sit still – he fidgets like mad he has the attention span of nat.  He whinges everytime you ask him to do something.  When he comes in for a hug I have to brace myself because he usually bowls me over.  He doesn’t understand, or perhaps he is just ignoring my pleas for him to be gentle with his baby brother.  And he just generally seems to get into more mischief than his sister ever did.

But on the other hand I think he’s as cute as a button.  He has a gorgeous smile and even though I may end up bruised, I love his hugs.  His energy is contagious and his love for his baby brother is unrelenting.

Boys and girls are different.  There is no argument there.  Much as been written about these differences and how to deal with boys, raise them, mould them.  I have to admit to doing a lot of reading because when I was pregnant I feared the worst – what if I had a boy?  Like it was some sort of affliction.

I love my boys.  I wouldn’t trade them in for anything.  I don’t want to.  My first son may be mischievous but he is certainly not mean spirited and I think that is the distinction that needs to be made.  He may throw rocks at the back fence but he means no malice – he just likes the fact that he can throw with some accuracy and the sound the rock makes when it hits the fence.  Sure he needs some guidance as to what is appropriate behaviour but he’s not naughty.

I’d like to give boys the benefit of the doubt.

This post was originally published on my other Mum’s Word blog “Boys Become Men”

2 Comments

  • At 2012.04.13 13:12, Sandy said:

    I love this post ! I’ve got one of each flavour, my boy being of the “active” variety. Once I figured out some basic operating instructions, I was all set. Girls aren’t all moonlight and magnolia’s, they just have different (but no less challenging) issues. I’m with you ….. boys rock !!!

    • At 2012.04.13 13:26, Maria said:

      Hi Sandy,

      I wrote that post a few years ago and since then I did go on to have a 4th child and it was another boy. So I’ve got 3 boys. And I did get those ‘oooh 3 boys’ comments. My eldest who is the active one is still active. My second son has turned out to be just like my daughter (who is the eldest). And my youngest, well, we’ll see I suppose.

      I agree about girls. I did hear somewhere (reliable source I’m sure 😉 that 14 year old girls are the most difficult to parent. My daughter is starting to hit puberty so all those moods are coming to the fore. I’m sure I wasn’t that bad…ahem.

      Thanks for the visit and the comment.

      Love & stuff
      Mrs M

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