parenting

A Boy’s Embrace

IMG_2516I saw a man that I know from the children’s school the other day. He was pushing one of those un-maneuverable racecar shopping carts with his two little boys gleefully air driving in the front.

When I commented on how sweet they looked he retorted, “Yeah, they can be sweet sometimes,” and I couldn’t relate more.

He continued to say what everybody says, “boys are high energy when they are young but girls give you hell when they become teenagers.”

“Really,” I said. “My sister’s and I were relatively easy on our parents,” right Melanie, Mommy and Tutti? (If you haven’t noticed yet, my family often comments on my posts)

He went on to say, “Boys just try to kill themselves by being reckless with their bodies, girls don’t listen and do things that can be life altering,” and that made me feel oh so much better.

The other night, Brevitt and I were wrestling together, he in his red footsie pajamas, a popular trend at school. We lay on top of each other laughing as he smooshed my face into “hilarious” positions and a memory of my sister, Michele, flashed into my head. Her now fourteen year old was five and he was lying on top of her soaking in all of her love and it reminded me that I must hold on to this moment for as long as possible because soon, real soon, Brevitt will not feel comfortable with feeling me so close to him. We lay there forever wrapped in each others arms as he told me a whole lot of insightful information about his friends, school and life in general.

The next day I went to my friends house to pick up my boys. They were playing their favorite sport, dodgeball, down in her basement with her two sons. It sounded as if a sacrifice was being performed. When I went down to check on them a speeding ball whizzed by and landed smack into Axel’s face, which didn’t seem to phase him.

I walked upstairs and asked horrified, “Is this how people feel when they visit my house? Stunned and psychologically disturbed by all of the noise and energy? It is no wonder why I don’t have many visitors anymore.”

As she sat there calmly reading the newspaper, she replied, “I love it….or at least, I have learned to embrace it.”

It is true that quite often I reach a breaking point with my boys and need to tell them that, “mommy is closed”. It is my dysfunctional way of getting a brief respite from all of the chaos.

But I will say this, when I am outside with the boys, or when we are indoors and they are being sweet and calm, they are my entertainment and my companions, filling the house with laughter and there is nobody in the world who I would rather be with.

In two to five years from now they will transform into different beings and I will have to connect with them on a different scale. For now though, I’ll embrace them and all of their energy and wrap them into my arms as much as they will allow, when I’m not reprimanding them for riding their bikes down the enormous ski ramp that Wade built in our backyard. Anybody care to share their Xanax with me????

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12 thoughts on “A Boy’s Embrace”

  1. Love the pics and those red pajamas! I am so thankful my boys didn’t have a huge ski ramp in the backyard, though we had our share of dashing off to emergency rooms.

    Hope you have a wonderful Mardi Gras. Schools are closed down here and everyone is bundling up to head for parades.

    Laissez les bon temps roulet!

    😀

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  2. Hi Jillian! I’ve often thought it’s the little people who need the Xanax! haha! I found a video on YouTube I’ll send you in email – send me an email cuz I’m not sure I have yours in my address book. You know what a techy I am – haha!
    joyisours@sbcglobal.net
    hugs
    suZen

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  3. My sentiments exactly! That’s the reason why I decided to stay at home after my eldest was born and after 8 years (and 2 kids), I still refuse to go out and find a career (according to friends) outside our home. Kids grow up so fast and it would be so painful to realize one day that I have missed so much.

    Right now, I am a WAHM and I don’t regret my decision. I know that I made the wisest investment by deciding to be hands-on with my kids.

    I may not be the perfect mom and I go crazy a lot of times. And yes, I also want to tell them “mommy is closed” sometimes; but I am sure that they are still getting the best care and attention.

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    1. Hello LeyMarie,

      I am very thankful that I have been able to stay home with my children but our circumstances are changing. That is why I am doing my best to make a living from my writing. What a struggle!!

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  4. I can relate to how you feel about your son Brevitt. My 11 year old son, Austin, who has ADHD, is so very active and definitely all BOY! However, at 11 years old, he still holds my hand (yes, even in public), hugs me (again, yes, even in public), and still wants to snuggle and sit on my lap. He’s a very loving child and I’m going to miss this time with him when he decides to break that special bond and grow up. I’m hoping that we still keep that bond. I know that he’s not going to want to sit on my lap and snuggle when he’s thirty, lol. And, for that matter, I’m not sure my old bones will want that either. So, I’m cherishing every moment that I have with him now!
    Thanks so much for a wonderful post!
    Hugs,
    Erica
    .-= Erica´s last blog ..9 Different Haiku from Mom and Son =-.

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    1. Hello Erica,

      I think it is possible that Brevitt has some form of ADD but he has not been diagnosed with it yet.

      I love your comment and am glad to have you come visit my blog. I look forward to reading your posts!!

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  5. Hey Jillian,

    Great post – you’re right, I can relate completely. I grew up with four sisters, so having three boys is vastly different than what I grew up with. In moments of chaos, I ask my mom how she did it with five, and she always tells me – “I had GIRLS!” Not that we were easy, but were much less physical and not as loud, I think.

    I have been here before, but I must say I’m sporadic. I barely have time to write a blog, much less read them! But thanks for steering my this way – I do appreciate this post. And it looks like we have some other things in common, too. At least the love of skiing! We used to live in Jackson, WY. It’s been almost 7 years, and we still miss the mountains. But we get out to Colorado (lots of family there) every other year or so. 🙂

    Thanks again, and enjoy those boys of yours.

    -elizabeth
    .-= Boy Crazy (@claritychaos)´s last blog ..a little birdy =-.

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  7. Hi Jillian – thanks so much for stopping by to see me, and for the immediate support! Love your blog and this post – I’ve got two boys, and I find no matter how loud the noise is, as long as it’s a happy noise, it’s music to my ears (mostly). Amazing, as I was a quiet-loving, nose-in-a-book only child who hated noise. Well, you get what you need. Also, yes, those race-car shopping carts are impossible!

    Peryl
    .-= Parenting ad absurdum´s last blog ..The unbearable kindness of four-year olds =-.

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