Got all sons? Count yourself lucky.
I am a mother of three boys. No daughters. Just three wonderful sons. So, I have always heard comments like:
Are you going to try for your girl?
Three boys… whoa… you must be tired.
Three boys. (Light-hearted laugh.) Man, I feel sorry for you.
Or that awful saying that goes something like this:
A son is your son until he takes him a wife. A daughter is your daughter for the rest of your life.
I love being a mom of boys and I know people aren’t trying to be mean, so these kind of comments don’t normally bother me. (Well, maybe except for the last one… who wants to ever think their child will go off and never return? What a horrible thought.) But the remarks aren’t exactly encouraging or uplifting either.
Recently though, I heard a comment about my boys that I continually turned around in my head until it seeped deep into my heart. It made me feel like I could not possibly be blessed more than by being a mother of three sons.
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My family and I were eating breakfast at my grandmother’s senior living center. It was normal family mayhem. My husband and I helped our kids through the buffet. (“No you cannot pile only donuts on your plate.”) We were up and down during the meal refilling plates. We cleaned up an orange juice spill. Then our chaos was interrupted.
A resident came over to our table and said to me, “You have such beautiful boys.” She hesitated, as if trying to decide if she should say more before finally adding, “I have three sons too, and I love it. They take such good care of me.”
She said it with such joy and pride and went on to tell me how they treated her so well. The wisdom of her 90-something years and the passion in her voice as she spoke of her sons stirred my emotions.
She ended our conversation by firmly stating, “They take better care of me than any daughter ever could. I am so happy I have three sons.”
Her words were lovely and uplifting.
If I think about it, I can see my boys also being amazing to me if someday I find myself in her shoes…
They already have all kinds of superhero powers and are continually fighting off the villains that daily enter our home. I know they will always be my protectors.
I am their favourite girl and in many different ways they tell me so each and every day. How lovely will it be to always have three handsome men visiting me no matter how old I am? That’s got to be good for the ego.
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With them around, do I really ever need to open a door for myself? I will always be treated like royalty.
You should see some of the stuff they come up with when building Legos or how they strategically place their Spy Gear around the house so they know exactly what is going on. To me, these are signs of brilliant, future adult minds, all capable of taking care of their mum.
And the energy my boys have? They for sure have enough energy to last them a lifetime. I don’t think I could possibly wear them out, even if in my old age I get crabby and demanding. They will always have the energy to take care of me.
As the lady from the retirement home walked away, I called to her, “Thank you for saying that to me.”
She turned back around and our eyes met. We exchanged a knowing look that only two mothers of all boys would understand, connecting us across two generational gaps.
Mother of all boys. Yes, I do believe I hit the jackpot.
This post originally appeared as a guest post by Cheryl on Made to Mother. Cheryl blogs at Since I Became a Mom. Follow Since I Became a Mom on Facebook to receive blog updates.
Top Comments
Thanks for the blessing to our sons. I have 2 and nowadays sons need us more than ever before. They are under attack for simply being boys. I have 3 daughters and with them I got to live out the princess in me, I somehow missed out on that as a child. Maybe because I am a big sister with a 1year younger brother 😀
For everyone saying it's sexist stop and think about it. Men do have more salary earning ability generally. Females have children and if they are good mothers, they'll spend a decent amount of time raising said children. Men don't have to be pregnant and go through all that. They can devote their lives to careers. Yes not all woman have kids, not all woman are stay at home parents but generally speaking men are the breadwinners. Don't get upset it's the truth!
Anyway thank you for this article, as a mum of 2 boys sometimes I feel sad I never had a girl. That maybe I won't be as close with my grandchildren, that if their future wife decides she doesn't like me I'll hardly see them etc. But my boys really do adore me. They are teenagers and they tell me they love me every day. They do treat me like royalty. This article has given me perspective. And as mothers of sons in this day and age, I think it is truly our job to raise boys who will turn into good, kind, respectful men.