Well, today is the baby shower from bloggy friends for Julie at mothergoosemouse — a mother of two girls with a boy due any day.
As her friends, we were asked to provide her some advice or humor about raising boys.
Hmmmm. My expertise comes up a little short there. Being the mother of one daughter and stepmother of two grown daughters, my experience is heavy on the estrogen side. Testosterone? Not so much.
However, having watched the boys on the playground at PunditGirl’s school and having had long chats with their moms, all I can say is (and I don’t want to scare anyone here), hold on to your hat! As I hear it, boys are just wired differently, especially when it comes to play.
Hey, that’s not just a stick! That can be turned into all sorts of imaginary weapons! And girls? Well, chasing them non-stop is good for honing those sprinting skills that will come in handy on the football or baseball fields.
I know there are exceptions to the rule — even for the ‘he’s all boy’ boys. The best example is PunditGirl’s classmate J. The two of them have a true love/hate relationship. J. likes nothing better than to taunt PunditGirl at school. In some respects, he is the classic elementary school boy — teases the girls, blames them for things they didn’t do to escape the responsibility himself, sometimes playing just a little too hard.
But we had dinner with J.’s family last week (during our kitchen renovation from hell), and according to his mom, he was all nerves and jitters before we arrived. His playroom needed to be just so, Rice Krispie treats had been made in her honor and he wanted to make sure he was looking “cool” before we arrived. The sweet side of J. was definitely on display, and it was hard for us moms not to keep shaking our heads with wonder — where was this all coming from?
So, while it’s not really advice, I guess the takeaway from our dinner was this — boys will be boys, but they can also be little gentlemen if the right girl comes along!
Congrats, Julie! We’re all happy for you and awaiting the arrival of number 3!
January 21st, 2008 at 11:55 am
I’ve always told my girls that you know a boy likes you when they tease you mercilessly on the playground/bus/etc. J. clearly has it bad for PunditGirl. Good thing you like his parents…
January 21st, 2008 at 1:23 pm
That’s such a cute story! Thank you so much for the well-wishes.
This testosterone’s going to take some getting used to…
January 21st, 2008 at 1:39 pm
PunditMom, this is an adorable tale. And right on the money.
January 21st, 2008 at 3:40 pm
So true. I was once upon a time a nanny for a little girl. I gave her a stick to play with one day, and it became a magic wand. Years later, I gave one to my toddler son, and it became a sword.
January 21st, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Amen!
January 21st, 2008 at 11:37 pm
I love it! Anyone who serves Rice Krispies is cool…