Categories
Encouragement

I Love My Boys

Sometimes I don't think that I can take the rampant testosterone flying about our apartment. On most days it seems like if someone isn't screaming, yelling, growling, or roaring, then something is being broken or hurled through the air.

Rather than being the serene and gentle mother I would like to be, I just feel vexed and grouchy as I scurry from one disaster-waiting-to-happen to the next, all while trying to cook meals, keep house, and manage to maintain a semblance of personal hygiene. I find a bit of consolation in the fact that none of our boys has figured out how to throw things out the window . . . yet. That's a good thing, because much of the time, my patience is about ready to exit by that route. I always considered myself a patient person―until I had kids. It's humbling, which is probably good for me, and it's forcing me to rely moment by moment on Jesus, and as far as I'm concerned, nothing could be better than that.

When people meet us for the first time, they always seem a bit surprised to learn that all three of our kids are boys. Those who don't immediately assume that we're done having children invariably make some comment about us having a girl next. And I always smile and nod and say that we hope so. And we do, I think. I mean, all along I've wanted each of my babies to be a girl. So why is it that recently, when I catch myself daydreaming about the possibility of baby #4, I feel a tender smile settling on my face as I picture him as another little boy?

My sons may exasperate and bewilder me, but each is irreplaceable and precious. I hope it goes without saying that I wouldn't trade any of them for a girl, even if given the chance to go back in time and carry a baby girl in my womb instead. In the occasional moments of clarity when I can step outside of the situation enough to stop worrying about whether or not our landlord's furniture or remodeling job will be damaged by their antics, I realize that there is something indescribably endearing in the cheerful rowdiness of my boys.

And there is so much more than their rowdiness that is endearing. My 5-year-old loves to do little chores around the apartment for me and takes great pride in saying that he's a good helper. Multiple times a day, my disarmingly cute 3-year-old looks at me with his big brown eyes and says, "Mommy, I love you so much!" And my 17-month-old, who started life as a super content baby, is growing into a little boy who seems to be the personification of happiness. My cup of blessings is full, but not too full for another baby boy!


P.S. If anyone was wondering where I've been the for the last three and a half months, I was on furlough, literally. We're missionaries in Ukraine, and after 3 years on the field, this winter we went back to the States. I had every intention of continuing to write while we lived out of suitcases, slept in other people's homes, and traveled extensively, visiting 5 states, driving 2,700 miles, and riding on 12 different airplanes . . . but somehow I never managed to squeeze it in. Can you believe it?? But I'm back now and hope to post here regularly from now on. 🙂


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26 replies on “I Love My Boys”

Love reading this!! I am glad I am not alone when it comes to efforts in patience as a mother of three, even if they are not all boys. Thanks, Sharon!

🙂 Great post Sharon. I always assumed I would have minimum, 4 children, after #2, I stood back in amazement at how much work I never realized my mother (with 6 children) did for us, and wondered if we would have more than 2! Now that she’s a bit older, I do want more children. I just never realized how selfish I was before, another step in dying to self took place (and continues to take place) when I entered into motherhood, and it’s totally worth it when I look at the 2 beautiful girls I have been blessed with. I can’t figure out how to fit a shower into my day with my 2 girls…amazing you are able to squeeze one in with your 3 boys 🙂

I know what you’re talking about. I hit the point you describe after having our third. Always before, I was mentally and emotionally ready to welcome another baby months before my body was physically prepared. But after the last one was born, it took a long time before I was willing to contemplate adding a fourth child to the mix. In fact, it was only very recently that I reached that point. The demands of caring for the three we have had me completely overwhelmed, and I didn’t feel equal to the task of doing all I was doing PLUS dealing with pregnancy and another baby! But now my arms are beginning to feel the very slightest longing to cradle a newborn again. 🙂

I know what you’re talking about. I hit the point you describe after having our third. Always before, I was mentally and emotionally ready to welcome another baby months before my body was physically prepared. But after the last one was born, it took a long time before I was willing to contemplate adding a fourth child to the mix. In fact, it was only very recently that I reached that point. The demands of caring for the three we have had me completely overwhelmed, and I didn’t feel equal to the task of doing all I was doing PLUS dealing with pregnancy and another baby! But now my arms are beginning to feel the very slightest longing to cradle a newborn again. 🙂

I know what you’re talking about. I hit the point you describe after having our third. Always before, I was mentally and emotionally ready to welcome another baby months before my body was physically prepared. But after the last one was born, it took a long time before I was willing to contemplate adding a fourth child to the mix. In fact, it was only very recently that I reached that point. The demands of caring for the three we have had me completely overwhelmed, and I didn’t feel equal to the task of doing all I was doing PLUS dealing with pregnancy and another baby! But now my arms are beginning to feel the very slightest longing to cradle a newborn again. 🙂

You are a beautiful woman and a perfect mother, Sharon. Continue writing, please…one day people will be happy to see some good novel or life stories book. why not?

I won’t say that little girls aren’t a wonderful joy (they are!), but the girls are the crazy ones in our family. They’re the ones who growl, roar, smash things, break bones and teeth….

I just visited your blog and laughed out loud while reading your post about propiska. I tried to leave a comment, but doesn’t seem to be going through somehow. I was wanting to share a funny experience that an American friend of ours had with that. He was trying to do something here in Ukraine concerning his car, which had American license plates. (I forget exactly what he was trying to do.) Anyway, after much running around, he hit his own dead end: the police would not complete the process without seeing his American propiska. It didn’t matter to them that this doesn’t exist in the U.S. Finally he came up with an ingenious solution: he showed them his voter registration. And it worked!

I just visited your blog and laughed out loud while reading your post about propiska. I tried to leave a comment, but doesn’t seem to be going through somehow. I was wanting to share a funny experience that an American friend of ours had with that. He was trying to do something here in Ukraine concerning his car, which had American license plates. (I forget exactly what he was trying to do.) Anyway, after much running around, he hit his own dead end: the police would not complete the process without seeing his American propiska. It didn’t matter to them that this doesn’t exist in the U.S. Finally he came up with an ingenious solution: he showed them his voter registration. And it worked!

Welcome back 🙂 it’s so good to see you posting again! When we found out we were pregnant with #3 we definitely were open to the idea of another little girl (since we already have 2)… in fact Travis was nervous just thinking about how it would be to have a boy since we have no idea. But now that we know we are welcoming a little boy in July, we are very excited! And it’s also convenient since Greek people feel that everyone should have a boy, lol. Our girls are crazy and sometimes I also feel like escaping. Despite what I’ve heard about boys being more rambunctious, I have to say that right now Ksena has a black eye which her 2 year old sister gave her (on accident I’m sure) while they were fighting over a hair brush… P.S. Your guest post about roadtrips is my 4th most popular post ever on SER! If you ever feel like writing another guest blog about traveling, I would love to post it 😉 God bless you!!

Congratulations on number three! When are you due? Wow–a black eye; that’s pretty extreme! I hope she recovers quickly! I’ll keep your invitation to guest post in mind. Thanks!

That’s wonderful that you’ve found a great doctor. That makes such a difference! We had our first here in Ukraine at a government hospital, and the experience was something that we are determined never to repeat. I was subjected to dangerous and unnecessary procedures without my prior knowledge or consent. (Obviously, if they didn’t tell me what they were about to do, I wasn’t able to consent to it!) God protected me and the baby from lasting harm, but even so, it took me a full year to recover physically from that birth. Our second was born at a hospital in Indiana with a midwife who was amazing–I would love to have all my children with her, but that’s not practical, since we live here in Eastern Europe. So number three was born in a friend’s home near Kyiv with a Ukrainian home-birth midwife in attendance. That was also a wonderful experience!

That’s wonderful that you’ve found a great doctor. That makes such a difference! We had our first here in Ukraine at a government hospital, and the experience was something that we are determined never to repeat. I was subjected to dangerous and unnecessary procedures without my prior knowledge or consent. (Obviously, if they didn’t tell me what they were about to do, I wasn’t able to consent to it!) God protected me and the baby from lasting harm, but even so, it took me a full year to recover physically from that birth. Our second was born at a hospital in Indiana with a midwife who was amazing–I would love to have all my children with her, but that’s not practical, since we live here in Eastern Europe. So number three was born in a friend’s home near Kyiv with a Ukrainian home-birth midwife in attendance. That was also a wonderful experience!

I wanted to ask you about your births. Thanks for answering my question, before I answered. 🙂

so fun to read, sharon. knowing all of you adds even more to the joy of reading. definitely love having those three be grandSONs. love you, mom

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