Boys, Boys, Boys

When God gave me my first boy, I wondered what I would do with him.  I had never been around boys, I didn't know the ins and outs of the equipment, I didn't know what was right or wrong for a boy ... and then I asked my dear friend Joni, "what will I do with a boy?"  and she said, "exactly what you did with mine, love them."

Joni was right.  Her boys were like my little brothers or nephews.  I wouldn't call myself the babysitter, more the appointed guardian.  We hung out, went to the beach, went to the mountains, and mostly laughed.   We did some dumb stuff, they did some dumb stuff, but for the most part, I just followed their lead and we have some amazing memories.

Honestly, I wanted girls.  I had 6 girl cousins that I was close to.  So far, all of those cousins had girls, I didn't know what to do with a boy.  But, even before our marriage Jeff had informed me that since the beginning of time all first born Maas babies were boys - I had a 50/50 chance on my second one. (that was tongue in cheek)

Girls to me would be fun, especially when my niece, Wendy came along - cute clothes, hats, bows in her hair, all of that fun stuff.   Wendy was exceptional, she was bright, communicated early, had incredible memory retention, she surpassed much of those typical girl qualities.  When Jarrod was born, he was so different, he was a physical being.  I tried to dress him cute, he'd pull it off.  I tried to teach him how to communicate - he wanted to play instead.  A completely different creature.

Obviously I prayed for guidance and wisdom.  I consulted the books, the professionals and our parents.   Really, I just let that baby boy lead me and I followed.  I learned right along with him.  He was my little buddy, and we grew together.  Although Ethan was very different, Jarrod had taught me what I needed to know about being a boy.

Jeff has some great stories about growing up.  They lived in rural Riverside County - Jurupa Hills to be exact, and he raised a cow and chickens, and all shot rats and mice with his bee bee gun.  He was outside all of the time "trapesing" around Rubidoux - it sounded like good times.

Jarrod wasn't so much the outside adventuresome boy - he's deathly allergic to grass, but he did his fair share of boy things.  He ate worms, killed snails with salt, got lost in the "wilderness" behind our house; almost took out his buddy's eye while swinging a pvc pipe.... you know, boy stuff.   Ethan was really the home body, but he managed to break his arm just by being at the bottom of the dog pile on the trampoline.  You know, boy stuff.

So when my girlfriend called me and asked about her 10 year old eating sand crabs at the beach, that sounded exactly like what Jeff or Jarrod would have done if he had been dared.   The internet tells you the worst case scenario like death to seals, and long term parasites.  When she told me the story of what he had done, I just laughed.  I told her to have him eat the healthy yogurt to clean out his bowel, and she was flushing him with water.  I think he'll live.

Most 10 year olds wouldn't have even told his mom what he had done.  Did you ever see the movie or read the book "How to Eat Fried Worms"?  That movie gave me an inside view to the typical life of an adolescent boy.  The movie "Stand By Me" was another example I had seen years ago of an inside look at boys lives and minds.

As moms we feel for our children.  Each of us has our own reaction.  I have learned to laugh, then cry.  When one of my boys does a boy thing - I laugh.  Then if it is serious, I take a sober look at it, and deal with it.

I'm very proud of my boys.  I can't take all of the credit, there's God, a brilliant Dad, excellent grand parents, an amazing school, and a church family that can't be surpassed.  Sure, they're not perfect, but hey, they're boys, they are resilient, and I love them just the way they are.

Proverbs 22:6 - Train children in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it.

K