Life as a boy mom is a messy, rugged, action-packed adventure. My daily life is a whirlwind of trains, cars, superheroes, dinosaurs, Legos, and a smattering of other boy toys. The learning curve for me was steep, but with practice and time came the ability to easily name off every Marvel superhero and almost every key Transformer robot. I can identify most construction vehicles with ease and have watched Cars so many times I can quote it by memory.
Growing up with a brother, I remember stealing his GI Joe soldiers to pair them with my Barbie dolls. But outside of that, I feel like most of our other play interactions were gender neutral. There was a lot of fence climbing, bike riding, and playground play but I do not remember being enmeshed in his world of Kinect’s or other boy toys. So life as a boy mom has been truly eye-opening for me.
Messy play happens in all homes with young children underfoot. Playrooms and bedrooms often look like a fierce tornado rolled through and upturned all of the well organized crates of toys and let the pieces fall where they may. Walking into the boy’s play zone at any given time is a cacophony of giggles, imaginative play, and a colorful mess of building blocks, coloring books, and a wide array of other odds and ends. And while sometimes I have to take a step back and count to ten so that I don’t overreact to the mess that lays before me, I also find myself smiling at these little moments where two brothers are cultivating a unique bond sharing in these creative, imaginary moments together.
Someday my life as a mother might include a daughter and play with her will be more familiar. I remember all-to-well the tea parties, dressing up my Barbie dolls, and braiding My Little Pony’s rainbow colored mane. But for now, I’m happy embracing my role as a boy mom. It is a crazy, beautiful, ever-changing adventure that rarely slows down. They keep me on my toes as we zip down slippery slides together giggling all the way down, zip lining across a playground holding on for dear life so we don’t fall in a pile of mulch, or screaming at the top of our longs under bridges and laughing at the echo that reverberates deeply long after we stop yelling.
Being a boy mom, brings me more joy than I could have ever imagined. They see the world from a unique vantage point that largely differs from my own as a female, but I appreciate with sincere fondness their incredible curiosity and fierce spirit that emanates from deep within their soul. Boys, may you continue to pursue life with the same zest and gusto you illuminate the world with today!
Birds of a Feather 