I have waited for a long time to experience the difference between raising a boy vs. a girl.  I have had many people tell me over the years what I am missing out on.  Some good, some bad.  “BRING IT ON!” I would think.  I remember having brothers and understood the differences…right?  I am sure it wasn’t the same being the sister, but I remember the sword fights, bruises, physical fights between them, and the activity level.

Yes, I knew I could handle it.  I hadn’t had the chance until now……raising Handsome.  I finally got my chance, my shot to see it first hand as a mother and do you know what?  We are surviving, actually loving it!  Let me list some differences I have noticed in the short time we have had him.

First off, it’s the lack of general self preservation.

My girls had to be coaxed to jump off a stair to me.  Handsome jumps, climbs, and throws everything.  One of his favorite things to do it jump off his bed onto a mattress on the floor.  I have it right below his bed because he moves around so much at night he falls off.  He jumps over and over and over again.  Bug loves it also, but I don’t remember her enjoying that at a year and a half old.  When my girls did something like that, it was thought out…and slow until they felt secure *they used their brain*.

Not Handsome, just JUMP!

He automatically knows that anything that is long is a sword, anything that is circular is a ball, and anything handheld is a gun. 

 Is this in the DNA somewhere?  I think so.  

He eats more than all my girls combined. He loves to try new foods and when the smell agrees with him, we hear a big “mmmmmmmm”.  He actually loves to open our fridge, get out a piece of broccoli, smell it….”mmmmmm” and run away carrying it.  I didn’t figure out what he was doing until about 20 minutes later when I found 5 pieces hiding in his room.  He also loves spaghetti, mac n cheese, apple sauce, yogurt and more.

He loves to make the “car sound” whenever he pushes anything!  It can’t just be pushed…that wouldn’t do.

He loves to figure out how things work.  Everything is about on/off *light switches*, in/out, and up/down.  The first word we really worked on was UP.  He would whine every time he wanted me to pick him up…so I would say the word and wait until he repeated it to be held.  It didn’t take him long to figure out that saying “up” was much easier.

Today I took a bath with Handsome.  

Together we filled the bath with cars and dinosaurs.  I am used to the barbies and dolls, so this was a nice change.  We were both freezing from being outside getting all 5 kids to school. We had our first snow storm last night and it is cold.

  The warm water was  soothing and calm taking away the cold prickly feeling in my toes.  I was on the phone with Tiff as I started the bath and let her know I needed to go.

she laughed, “You are taking a bath with Handsome? Now you are officially bonded!”

And she was right.

We played with the toys and filled the tub full of bubbles.  “A son.” I thought…once again, it blew my mind.  I was in awe at the unbelievable chain of events that had taken place in my life.  Handsome turned and smiled at me…I was in heaven.  We sang songs and drove the cars.  I was sure he was having a great time.  He usually takes baths with Bug and I have to referee the entire time…breaking up who’s are who’s toys.  

We relaxed for about 20 minutes, until our skin started to show signs of the shrivel.  

I stood up and started to wash off my bubble coated body.  I began cleaning out the toys.  I didn’t remember that many toys being in the bath.  I kept picking them up

until

I picked up one that wasn’t a toy. 

Not by my standard anyway.

Yes, boys do a lot of things girls don’t.  None of my six daughters 

EVER POOPED IN THE TUB WITH ME.

 They had the decency to wait to be alone in the bath. 

Boys will be boys.