The final thing that I will say about raising boys can be summed up in two words: loud and active. From the get-go, my in-laws nicknamed the boys "Crash" and "Bang". And for a year after we adopted the boys, whenever I spoke to my mom on the phone she would ask if everything was alright because of the ruckus she heard in the background. My boys seem to have the philosophy that if it must be said...best that it is said loudly! Plus, all the aforementioned fire trucks and superhero toys have their own noises too.
As for being "active", I am convinced that we could solve this country's energy crisis if we could somehow harness the energy of our young children. My boys are in constant motion and I've had to adapt my parenting style to keep up with them, or ideally, one step ahead of them. Long ago we got rid of our living room coffee table so there was more room to build race tracks, hold tickle fights or chase our cousins around the house. And don't forget the wrestling -- whether it's because they are bored, their dad has come home from work or one of their uncles has come over for dinner -- wrestling is a default activity with boys.
But, I've come to the conclusion that all this noise and commotion is a good thing. At times it has acted as a built-in safety feature, allowing me to keep track of where they are in the house or the yard. I can take action on any suspicious noises I hear -- such as running water -- or worse yet, no noise at all (which of course is when the real trouble is taking place). And just as important, it makes our house feel more like a home.
Don't forget...if you are ready to bring a little extra commotion into your house, we have some terrific boys in our Hope Journey program that would love to be a part of your family. Check them out!
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