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2nd January 2022
07:00am GMT

I soon discovered that raising boys is pretty darn similar to raising girls. And that while a lot of the warnings are indeed true (the breaking things, the constant loud-ness, the love of dinosaurs and diggers), what they forget to tell you is that boys will love their mum so, so much. Literally – I wasn't prepared for this, and it melted my heart in so many ways. Because sure, my little girl is also a mama's girl and loves me, but my boy? I am his world. And it both amazes and scares me, this responsibility, raising him – and her – into the people I would like them to become.
I recently came across this lovely text by Kayla Friehe on Her View from Home, and it stuck with me. I think there is this presumption in society about boy mums that they will have to try for 'the girl' – as if raising boys isn't quite enough. I have friends who are raising sons and they are forever asked when they'll be trying to add a girl to the equation, and it must be both annoying and frusterating having to explain that they are happy with what they got – that raising boys –raising only boys – is pretty darn amazing.
Here is Friehe's text in full:
God gave me sons
God gave me sons.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to shop for pink dresses, and oversized bows. To have tea parties or baby dolls scattered across the house. To feel the responsibility of raising a strong woman, in a world that sometimes feels built for men.
But, God gave me sons.
So I fold tiny superhero underwear and give daily reminders about putting the toilet seats down. There are trucks and tractors packed into every crevice of our home. Giggles when the slightest noise sounds like a toot, and moments where spontaneous wrestling matches break out, pretty much anywhere.
Yes, God gave me sons.
Sons to teach empathy, kindness, and love to. Sons to remind that the dishes, and the laundry, and the cooking and the cleaning are not just for a woman to do, but for a man as well. Sons to snuggle, so they know embrace is more than just something physical, and one sided—there is an emotional power that comes with touch. Sons that I can remind to be vulnerable because it’s one of the bravest things you can be. Sons to be husbands and fathers – ones who don’t walk away or quit when it gets hard. Sons to be men, to be respectful, responsible, and encouraging, no matter your race, gender, or beliefs.
That’s why God gave me sons.
Not because they needed me, but because I needed them. To remind me that sons need a mother's strength, a woman’s love—because I will always be their first example of how treat a lady. I believe few things in life are more powerful than that.
God gave me sons, and if he ever gave me another, now I know why.Explore more on these topics: