Boys Will Be Boys

Growing up as the younger of two sisters, our home was filled to the brink with Barbies, clothes, dolls and other such girly things. As a mom, my role is totally reversed as I am now the only girl in this house. I find myself surrounded by cars and trucks. I have learned that anything (and I truly mean anything) can become a sword with enough imagination.

I have also started learning that boys handle problems and show love in a totally different way than I am used to. My sister and I used to have screaming matches and call each other ridiculous names (it's ok, we've forgiven each other since). I used to get up at 5 am to beat her into our shared bathroom otherwise I would get locked out. The drama was so over the top, I often wonder why my dad didn't pull his hair out. My boys, all 3 of them, do things completely different.

I realized this when we were Skyping with my parents this weekend. My oldest climbed on top of me, like he was trying to sit on my shoulders. This is no easy task for me, as he has been in the 95th percentile for height and weight since birth. At 3 he is already over 3 1/2 feet tall and close to 40 pounds. As my mom was watching me struggle she says to him, "You should be nice to mommy." It was in that moment that I realized he was.

Let me explain a little better. Boys show their love in physical ways. My boys are at their happiest when they are all wrestling together and smacking each other around. Girls like hugs and such but words mean so much more. That's why you see girls drinking coffee and talking about their problems and guys drink beer and see who can take the most punches. My oldest son was showing me love by climbing all over me. It seems like an oxymoron, but at least from my experience it's true.

I wonder how this house will be in 10 years when we have 2 teenage boys who want to have friends over to watch football. How much of my stuff will get broken and how much will it cost me to feed them? I don't know, but I'm willing to bet that the higher the bill, the more love there will be in this house.