I am convinced that when God makes moms, He has a plan. He knows whether He is creating a "girl mom", a "boy mom", or an "mixed mom". All moms are special people. I am married to a quintessential girl mom which has been a delightful and perpetual learning experience for me. My mom is the mother of three boys. She is, and continues to be, the epitome of a "boy mom", a great "boy mom", and in my opinion the best "boy mom".
"Boy moms" have a special patience, a special understanding, and a special outlook on life. I am not saying it is better than the other kinds of moms, its just a little different when you are the mom in a house full of boys. Things get broken, things get lost, mud and dirt become a routine part of life. Let me explain...
Boys are rarely great communicators, especially when we reach the completely awkward and taciturn adolescent years. One of the first signs that a mom is a "boy mom" starts with complete comfort in being called just that..."mom". Not "mommy" or "mother", but "mom". Mom is the perfect name for boys to call their mother. It is easy for us to say and it can sometimes be grunted as much as spoken. However most important of all, when boys have lost something we really need right away, like a baseball glove or car keys, we scream "MOOOOOMMMM!!!!" at the top our lungs. My mom almost always knew where my glove was, where my shoes were, or where I had left my car keys. The problem was solved, the panic ended, the crisis over. "Boy moms" are great problem solvers...especially for boys' unique, self inflicted problems, that boy moms know really aren't problems at all.
"Boy moms" are the world's best sports fans, whether they like sports or not. They attend an endless number of sporting events on weekends, during the week, night or day. My mom spent countless hours sitting on hard, cold steel bleachers, watching her boys play football and baseball. Cheering when we did well, and still cheering when we didn't.
Probably above all other attributes, "boy moms" know how to roll with the punches and make the best of the ridiculous situations that only boys create.
Occasionally my brothers and I would get to spend the night with our grandparents.(Until I had kids of my own, I didn't realize that this meant my parents had plans for the night and were looking forward to well earned a break from their boys.) My maternal grandmother was a classic southern, christian lady. She made the best homemade applesauce I have ever had, she was an avid fan of Lawrence Welk, and she was a stickler for good manners. She was a great influence on my brothers and me. However, she was not a "boy mom" and my mom knew she was not a "boy mom". Whenever we went to my grandparents house, it was important that my mom drop off boys who were presentable.
I recall one summer day when we were going to spend the night with my grandparents. I think we had specific instructions that day that we were spending the night at "Grandmom's" so don't get too dirty. ("Boy moms" know that instructions to stay clean are acts of folly, so a request for only moderate filth is reasonable) So, my older brother and I spent the day in the woods behind our house digging random holes in the mud, building forts that immediately collapsed, and essentially wallowing in dirt. When we came in, my mom knew she was going to have a tough time making us presentable for my grandparents. After we bathed we were still filthy. I recall my mom getting a brush and soap holding our arms over the bathroom sink, scrubbing us for what seemed like hours. Futile hours at that, as the Virginia red clay ground into our arms, hands and fingernails would not yield. Realizing that the fight was over, that this was one of those times she was just going to have to roll with it, my mom turned off the water, toweled us off and said "well, at least its clean dirt"
I think that is what makes "boy moms" special...at least it's clean dirt. She knew that we were going to show up at our grandparent's house with head to toe mud stains, she knew that she would likely get a call about it after our stay, and she also knew that it was all okay...this is what boys do, and she loved us for it.
It was great growing up with the world's best "boy mom". Thanks mom! Happy Mother's Day! We love you!
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