Parenting a passel of boys has taught me a lot.
Things are not always as they seem, and once you’ve acquired an adequate set of boy mom eyes, you begin to see things differently. For instance:
That collection of sticks in the corner of the den? They’re not really sticks and they aren’t to be thrown out the front door, for then your favorite pirate would face battle without his best swords.
That empty refrigerator box outside is not really destined for the garbage truck. First, it MUST serve as a fort, a jail cell (upside down), a big hole in the earth, a tunnel (when the bottom falls out) and last, as a gigantic “sled”, big enough for all the boys to ride as they careen down the muddy hillside.
A pile of dirty, muddy laundry by the washer represents not an hour of work but a joy-filled afternoon of splashing and slinging.
When things seem messy, muddy, and chaotic, readjust your perspective. Look at life through your boy mom eyes and savor his sloppy kiss, mud and all.
What discarded item in your house took on new life for your sons? Leave a comment and share with all of us the great fun that was had!
And don't forget to look through those boy mom eyes...
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20 comments:
Oh gosh, you are talking my language! I agree on every single point. The whole world looks different through the eyes of boys!
I love the reminder to "readjust your perspective" - such an important message! Love how your "boy mom eyes" see things :)
Love this reminder to adjust your perspective.
Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Have they not come in yet to show the beautiful worm and caterpillar the found yet? I had a hard time with that.
I could really relate! we have a box in our playroom that has been there since the summer. I cut windows into it and it is now a playhouse. It drives me crazy, but I can't seem to part with it yet
As the mom of two tiny boys, I am just starting to enter this world. We currently have a "clubhouse" made out of a moving box and a shoehorn serving as a sword. I love your expression, "boy mom eyes."
I don't have any boys, but I can honestly say that this is sound advice for girl moms too. The messes and little treasures laying around aren't quite the same but the sentiment is. Kids have beautiful imaginations and it's wonderful to get to tag along on their adventures.
Oh, Laura, I think I still have those mom eyes! Our middle son collected sticks of all shapes and sizes...I'd never dare to throw away a single one. Guess what? Now that he's 20, we take occasional walks together and he still grabs a stick and twirls it around as we stroll. *smile*
Hope you have a blessed week, my friend.
Our footstool became a horse, police car, boat, mountain to hide behind, and anything else that he could think of. Made me smile, Laura. Thanks
I'm enjoying your blog... it's so nice to meet you! Adding your RSS feed to Bloglines. Good job with your boys, Mom!
Blessings,
e-Mom @ Chrysalis
http://chrysaliscom.blogspot.com
Two of my four are boys and I definitely think you need to have a sense of humor, a heart for God and be a creative thinker to embrace the craziness children of either sex bring.
Love this post! Reading it as I contemplate the box village my kids created with my cast off boxes. I may ditch life in the burbs and move to boxville in the garage.
Awww. I love raising boys. Such a joy.
Hi Laura,
I loved this post so much, I made it the subject of my blog today. Check it out:
http://bloggingboutboys.blogspot.com/2010/02/boy-mom-eyes.html
Jenny
Boys are such a JOY. I am so proud God has Blessed me with Boy Mom Eyes. Thank You for this post. SOOOOO VERY VERY TRUE!!!
I scrolled down to look at your other posts when I came here for FFF and saw you were a mom of boys. I have 3, no girls except a new daughter-in-law. Yes, I can identify with this -- any kind of big box was the base for all kinds of structures that could be climbed into. And wrapping paper tubes were a favorite by-product of birthdays for having swordfights with.
I admit I don't usually look at laundry that way, but you're right that a different perspective makes all the difference.
Well said. Been there. Doing that. :-)
And red rubber boots are NOT hot all summer long IF worn with a blue towel Superman Cape pinned on!
And he CAN'T get off the coffee table without walking on the couch OR he will fall to his death in the LAVA PIT!
MINE are all grown up and have apartments and houses of their own... but I haven't forgotten! I never will! Little boys are great teachers!
I love this! I come from a family of all girls and my sisters gave birth to girls (my only nephew is actually a step-nephew), so I was pretty surprised to find out I was having a boy. At first I wasn't sure how I would handle being the mother of a boy, but I am learning everyday how wonderful it can be. My son is the perfect mixture of sensitivity and spunk, and he keeps me on my toes constantly!
Ah a life with boys!
*You must adjust your idea of a "normal" volume level.
*Pants are always optional
*Mud pies never lose their cool factor
*Boys don't need toys. The happiest (and most well behaved) my boys have ever been is when we were camping and they had nothing but dirt, sticks and rocks for days.
*There is nothing more precious than the way a boy loves his Mommy :)
We had an old lamp for years. It was too wobbly to keep around when we started having boys. Somehow the top piece that keeps the lampshade on strayed from the lamp. It is a big round brass circle with a stem. My son claimed it as his "finda glass" and has been used in MANY adventures throughout the house! Thank you for the giggle!
Jill
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