When I pictured myself starting a family, I don’t think I necessarily pictured myself having two boys back to back. When I was pregnant with my first child, I just knew I was having a boy. Aside from the fact that I really wanted one, I just had the strongest feeling that my baby was a boy. With my second, I had no idea. I could picture our family either way. When we found out we were expecting a second son, I was kind of surprised, to be honest. Out of all four of the grandkids in our family so far, Ryan would be the fourth boy and counting. What were the odds?!
Regardless, in the last 8 months of having two boys, I’ve realized that I’d be completely satisfied forever as a #boymom.
My husband and I will more than likely have another baby in the future. Not because we “gotta get that girl” or anything, we just determined that three is a good number of kids for us. My husband is the middle child of three and he and his sisters always seemed really close. I grew up with lots of cousins that were all close in age and have fond memories of all of us playing together and having sleep overs during summer breaks and Christmases. We want the same for our kids, regardless of their gender.
I don’t think it’s an accident that I’m a mom to boys. I truly believe that while we’re called to teach our children, they can also teach us so much in return. Being a mom to boys is teaching me so much about ferocity and fearlessness. My boys don’t do anything halfway. Zachary can often be found jumping off of beds or couches and letting out big belly laughs as he falls or running around the house with sticks or “swords” and just barely missing the corners of furniture or the edge of the fireplace. My heart stops a little bit every time, and yet he is completely carefree in his play. Ryan has started to notice his big brother’s silly habits because he throws himself back in laughter and squeals when he catches a glimpse of the fun and it just encourages Zachary to be grander and more dramatic. He’s started to roll around and army crawl acrosd the floor, trying to catch up to the fun, often knocking things over and making his own messy play in the process. Honestly, I don’t quite understand it fully, the need to constantly move and play and wiggle. It’s a stretch for me because deep down I’m more of a “lets just sit and talk and maybe have some queso” type of person. Being a mom of boys is forcing me to get out of my comfort zone a little bit and embrace the chaos and the rambunctiousness of boy energy and I think I like it.
When I envision what our family could look like years down the road with our two boys, maybe a third child someday, I picture family vacations, class parties, marching band events, (obviously!) and even just the day to day. Inevitably, having boys means that I’m just going to have to get used to all the climbing, jumping, and rough housing, but I’ve also started to learn how sweet and gentle boys can be. It’s not just little girls that like to hold and take care of babies. Zachary just recently turned 3 and he’s already shown me just how much he loves having a little brother to keep him company. He’s always finding new ways to make his little brother laugh. When I take the baby into another room to change his diaper, he follows closely behind because he just likes to be with him. He pats his back when he cries and gives big goodnight kisses at bedtime. He likes having his brother close by even if they’re not playing with the same things. It warms my heart knowing that these two will get to grow up with their best friend right by their side. They’ll forever have a playmate, then as they grow older, a teammate, sidekick, and confidant.
I’m not saying that boy and girl siblings don’t share special sibling bonds, because I know for a fact that they do, but there’s just something about a little boy and his brother walking through life together, sharing secret codes, going through the teenage years, and growing into young men. Together. And the more I think about it, that’s what it’s all about, mamas. That’s why we do what we do. Because we want our boys to grow up to be the best men that they can be. And when I think about our next and probably last child, if God decides to give us one, I don’t think I’ll be disappointed if we don’t “get that girl,” because boys are wonderful blessings and it’s such an honor to be able to raise them. They play hard and they love deeply. And there’s absolutely nothing quite like getting tackled by a sticky-fingered adventurer who was just building you a tower out of sticks and dirt.
Are you a mom of boys? How has being a #boymom surprised or changed you?
