20 Things About Raising A Boy

I was inspired by this article link I saw on Pinterest. So I'm going to repeat this list here with a tribute to my boy, James. :)

There will be planes, trains and automobiles.

"Little boys adore anything that flies, sails, drives, digs or mixes." That's for sure! He loves flying kites too. And yes I do find myself pointing out planes, firetrucks and motorcycles to James when we're out and about.

Boys don't stop moving.

"He may not ever slow down, but you will learn to pick up the pace." James definitely has the speed in our family. And ever since he could walk we've had a trampoline so he has a great sense of balance. Oh and he loves to jump, jump out of bed, jump down the stairs, jump off the couch, jump out of the car. 

Clothes shopping is easy - and cheap!

"Well there are pants (cargos, jeans and sweats), sneakers and t-shirts. There are no outfits. Everything essentially goes together." Ha I still find myself trying to put his clothes together in "outfits" like his sister's. There definitely are no frills with dressing boys - but he sure does clean up nicely in a tie!

You will love watching him play with his Dad.

"Whether they're high-fiving, fist-bumping or just sharing a laugh, there's something that screams "fatherhood" when your guys play together." Stephen has made a special bond with James because these last 3 years it's just been them two at home in the mornings while Madeline's at school and I'm at work. They sleep in together, have their snuggle time, watch TV together, have wrestle and tickle time, eat together, laugh at each other's bodily function noises, play together and nap together. Stephen is actually becoming a little more sappy than me about James starting Kindergarten in a couple of weeks.

The penis comparisons start early.

"Chalk it up to the cave man instinct, but boys play with their penis practically from birth." Oh this one threw me for a big loop! Y'all remember my previous post on this topic. Every now and then I will find myself telling James "Hands!" to show me his hands and take them out of his pants. Hubby just keeps assuring me it's a guy thing. Sigh, I don't know if I'll ever get used to it. LOL

You'll learn to love legos.

"But you'll be surprised at how quickly you'll master the names of all the Thomas trains, find pleasure in a well-built Lego rocket ship and will know your dump trucks from your diggers." James got those jumbo Legos for Christmas last year. He loves to build gigantic towers. I think he's now getting to that age to buy those smaller Lego sets to make things. 

Roughhousing is innate.

"Play fighting and roughhousing is surprisingly hard-wired into many boys." Boy you can say that! James has been roughhousing with his sissy all summer long! Rolling on each other, hugs that turn into a full body tackle. My goodness. 

You'll want to mold him into a stellar boyfriend.

"You may think you've birthed a baby boy, but you just gave the world another man." Well this is a bit scary. I did do a previous post of what it will take to date my son. Through teaching him our Faith and praying for him, & taking him on mother/son dates...we hope James turns into a respectful, honest and loving man.

The goofiness starts early.

"Boy humor can be extra goofy and the potty humor starts as soon as they can talk." Isn't this the truth. In fact just the other day James made up a storybook using an app on our iPad, and it was all about animals and monsters pooping and peeing. And anytime James mentions the word "poop" he bursts out into hysterics. I just try to keep a straight face not to give the poop talk more value.

Even sweet-as-pie boys love guns.

"Maybe he's a good guy looking to save the world from bad guys and hot lava." Ha ha, James isn't that into guns unless they are water guns - he loves shooting people with those! 

You'll learn not to compare your son to girls.

"Girls often reach milestones earlier and excel at many essential school skills like reading - and, er, sitting still." Boy have I been caught doing this comparison. Especially since we had Madeline first. She excels in school and is definitely more calmer. I worry about James in those aspects but then I need to remember he's a boy. :) 

Star Wars takes over earlier than you expect.

"A kid in your child's preschool class will see it and then the obsession spreads like pinkeye." James has not yet been introduced to Star Ways, but I know my nephew Alex is obsessed with it. James is more into superheroes and the Avengers. I think it's cute though.

You'll probably make a trip to the ER.

"You will learn to anticipate the most dangerous risks, but there will be a time when you're just a second too late and you land up driving to the ER." Oh James has experienced your not so pretty goose egg on the head, but thankfully no trips to the ER. Praying there never is one!

Sports obsession can be hard-wired.

"For some boys, the need to run, move, bounce and throw a ball is as vital as breathing." Oh I already anticipated this hard-wire with his father being an awesome athlete in his yester-years. And since James will be our only boy (and Madeline shows signs of no athleticism) I actually hope he'll be a great athlete like his father as I know hubby would love it! Second season of soccer for James this Fall...soon enough he'll play baseball and football too! And any other sport he finds interest in for that matter.

Pee will be everywhere. Everywhere.

"No one notices or cares but you." Ugh. I remember when my parents set up a cleaning schedule for my brothers and I when we were kids, I remember them saying that I shouldn't have to clean up the toilet - that my brothers should since they will be the ones peeing all over it. I need to do that with Stephen and James.

You will struggle with gender roles.

"You might secretly wince when your son opts for the princess costume at his pal's dress up party." Ha ha, Stephen winces more than I, because I realize he's just a kid - and playing with his sissy's dolls is just fun to him.

You will revise your wedding fantasies - and be fine with it.

"You know your fantasy of helping plan your little girl's wedding?" Well at least I can still fantasize about Madeline's future wedding. Actually for James I pray he finds a sweet Catholic girl, marries in the Church receiving grace for his marriage with this beautiful Sacrament...and yes that I get to dance with my handsome boy on his big day.

Boys sometimes need to hug it out.

"We're not quite sure when the male aversion to spooning and snuggling occurs." Well our almost 6 year old boy still is our "snuggle-bug" and I hope he remains that for a very long time. Stephen remembers putting his head down when his dad would hug and kiss him, he still does. I wonder when James will start doing that?

You will throw away a ton of clothes.

"Consider investing in a stain stick for $3.99." I do notice this with James' clothes. No holes yet (well except in his shoes) but I'm sure as he goes to school this will start to occur. 

Boys love their moms.

"There's a strong and consistent love that comes from boys from the get-go - and stays there through the long haul." Oh is my Jimmy-James ever a mamma's boy - and I love it!