A Mother and Her Son

I've said for a while that 3-year-old boys are my favorite creatures. I dare you to find anything more intense, daring, curious, or terrifying than a 3-year-old boy.

But my husband and I said that a little girl would be the best addition to our family...so naturally we're expecting a little boy. There's so much advice our there about how to raise a gentleman, how to prepare a boy to be a husband, and how to instill in him values that the woman in his life will appreciate. I find it kind of shocking that's I should be prepping my little boy for another woman before I've had my fair share. And in reverse, I doubt we would embrace an article like how to raise your daughter to be a good wife so readily in this day and age.

But I must regretfully admit I read everyone of these that I find. There is a part of me that is aware that boys are different from girls, and an even bigger part of me that is conscious of the fact that a traditional family can be understood to a child as the way things work instead of the way we choose to make our family work. And I'd like to think if I was having a girl I would spend an equal amount of time and effort plotting ways to empower her and encourage her sense of self.

Right now, my hope for my son is that I can show him how to be kind, giving, and gentle when the moment calls for it. I also acknowledge that being tough, strong, and fearless have their place, but something tells me those will come much more naturally.

I will teach my son to love freely and openly and with his whole heart

I will make my son do his own laundry because he may not always need to throw a perfect spiral, but he will always need clean underwear

I will encourage my son to create what ever his heart desires, whether it's beautiful or terrifying

I will kiss him goodnight for as long as he lets me because the only thing worse that a child feeling they don't need you, is a child  feeling you don't need them

I will make him eat what's for dinner so he will never expect to have a short-order cook in the house

I will teach him to express his emotions because he will always have them, and there's no use denying that

I will show him how strong women can be in hopes that he will not settle for a weak one

And above all else, I will give him the gift of both knowledge and faith so that he can never be disarmed and he will never be alone