I am a Boy Mom.
I remember thinking during the gender ultrasound of my second baby that it was certainly a girl (after all, I always dreamed of having one of both genders), and then the technician said, “It’s a boy!”.
Strangely enough, my first thought was “I get to be the Mom of 2 BOYS!!” I was so excited. I love my oldest son, and was so excited to have another boy to love.
As much as I love little boys, there are some things that are unique to raising them.
Yes, there is penis talk, fart jokes, and dirt but there’s so much more about boys that every expecting Boy Mom needs to know.
This post is sponsored by Purcyn and contains affiliate links. All opinions are mine.
Things Moms of Boys Need to Know
1. They Never Stop Moving
I recently visited a friend of mine who has a little girl. That sweet girl sat down for about 30 minutes and worked on crafts
My boys were running around my friend’s house playing fighter planes and then took to digging up her back yard where they scaled her fence and ran in circles around one another.
From the time that their feet hit the floor until they pass out at night, my boys are running.
Even when they are doing things that require someone to be still, like eating dinner, brushing teeth, or watching TV, my boy are dancing, doing dare devil flips, and bouncing off their seats. Literally.
My oldest son’s preschool teacher had to take his chair away because he kept falling out of it.
They never stop! NEVER!
2. You’ll Need Lots of Clothes
Clothes shopping for little boys is simple. All they need are jeans, shorts, and t-shirts. Easy-peasy.
The hard part is the sheer amount of clothes that they go through.
My son didn’t make it through the fall and winter with a single pair of intact blue jeans. I even trudged to the store and bought new ones mid-season and still, every single one of them had massive holes in one or both knees by the time summer hit. So much for passing those down to his brother.
Then there are the shirts. Surely the shirts can be passed down!?
Nope!
Between the holes, blood stains, and just being worn through, the shirts don’t make it either.
Don’t even get me started on shoes. A new pair lasts anywhere from 3-6 months, tops! They don’t grow out of them, they destroy them. Even though I’d like to blame my son’s favorite Strider Bike for the holes in his shoes, I know that they get torn apart because he never stops moving.
- Boy Mom Tip: I’ve found that Stride Rite
shoes last a lot longer than any other brand we’ve tried. The shoes below are NOT Stride Rite…
So yes, it’s easier to shop and dress little boys, but you’ll have to buy twice as much!
3. Be Prepared for Injuries
Being a Mom of boys means that you always have to be prepared for injuries.
Boys are naturally more risk takers and I swear my boys skin their knees at least once a week in the summer. They are wearing shorts instead of jeans, so instead of holes in jeans they get skinned up knees.
I’ve learned over the years to always, always have cotton balls, band aids, and a good wound cleanser
4. Buy Lots of Food
Oh My Gosh! The food!
My guys are still pretty young, but they can put away some food.
My 5-year-old eats just as much for dinner as my husband does.
I was surprised how much our grocery store bill went up when they started on solid foods, at 8 months! Even as babies, my boys could eat as much as a grown person.
I don’t know what I’m going to do when they are ravenous teenagers. I shudder when I think about it.
5. Cars, and Trucks, and Things That Go
There’s something about things on wheels that boys just can’t get enough of.
I’m sure that one day my boys might grow out of it, but over the past 5 years, our playroom has been covered in train tracks
I tried to incorporate more gender neutral toys into our playroom, but they just sit and get dusty.
Shoot, even for our 3 month summer in DC, I only packed trains
Don’t make toy buying hard. Get some matchbox cars
6. They are Sweet
Oh, let me be the first to tell you that boys are so sweet.
Yes, there are lots of fart jokes, penis talk, and boogers, but boys can be exceptionally loving too.
Every day, I hear “I love you” about a thousand times, and get bigger hugs that I ever could have imagined. On those fleeting moments when they do stop moving, they want to cuddle and hold my hand.
Every day, I hear “Mommy, Will You Play With Me.” Because no matter what, boys love to be with their Mama.
Life with boys can be amazingly sweet but also chaotic and overwhelming.
It can be really hard to keep your cool and not yell at them for being rambunctious or not listening. I’ve been there.
I have some tools that can help you stay cool among the chaos. My favorite is this one —> Click here to download Free 50 Calm Down Tips. Print them out, hang them up, and use them when the anger starts to rise.
Your boys will be grateful you did.
I have two boys, 5 & 3, and a little girl. I LOVE being a boy mom! I totally agree that they are the sweetest and so great at taking care of their mommies. As far as the clothes go, that is exactly why I buy most of their stuff from Goodwill or on super sale. I would like to get them a couple of cool t-shirts that are so in style right now, but I can’t see myself spending so much on something that’s just going to get stained and dingy. Shoes are one thing we do spend more money on, though, because we do want them to last. My boys each have one pair of shoes for each season (boys are so simple!)– Keen sandals in the spring and summer, hiking style boots in the fall and winter. Because we get a good quality shoe, they do tend to last. 🙂
Such a cute post! I just became a first time mom to an awesome little boy in April. I can’t wait until I get to experience all this with him. Gah, I just know he’s gonna grow so fast!
All so very true. I have 5 boys, grown now…29, 28, 25, 22 and 19….and let me tell you, you think they eat now..just wait! Let’s just say I could have my beach house that I’ve been dreaming of. But I wouldn’t trade my 5 boys for anything in the world. They are my world. Enjoy every minute, it zooms by!
Aww. I have 5 boys also aged 21, 18, 11, 6 and 4 and am expecting another baby don’t know if its a boy or girl we are keeping it a surprise…and we also have a 1 year old grabdson!
All of these are spot on! My younger son, 4 years old, is always on the move, always exploring and the complete opposite of what my older 7 year old daughter is. He is actually inspiring her to be a little more risky! They compliment each others personalities perfectly!
I have 2 boys and 2 girls, and you’re right, the boy never stop moving! That’s the biggest difference for us!
Im a working mom with 2 boys 3 years and 5 months and this article said it all my 3 year old his super hyper and very busy. There was a time when i got worried because his eating a lot but now i know its just a boy thing lol
As someone who had a daughter first (one who acts like your friend’s daughter), I can tell you my world was turned upside down when I became a boy mom later. I’m still amazed at how different they are… no doubt from gender and birth order differences. This article is spot on… the only problem for my little guy is not having someone to share on his adventures much… big sis isn’t terribly interested in all things wheels and dirt. LOL Luckily, they both love Legos. Preschool has also helped him. He enjoys being around other boys like him. 🙂
I have 6 boys (12,11,7,5,3 and 1). This article is spot on! Our 1 daughter (9) is constantly feeling outnumbered. We love our boys (and girl) and all the crazy that comes with them!
I am a stay at home mom of 2 amazing boys. Age 4 and 22 months. I love what you wrote about being a mother of boys ! It’s all so true . They do drive me insane sometimes and sometimes they just melt my heart to what they say to me . I love num 6 . My older 1 tells me he loves me the all the time ? . Boys are oh so special ?
All so true! I also have two boys who never stop moving! The blocks and cars are everywhere, and currently life is all about dinosaurs. Dino toys, Dino books, Dino tv shows…it’s definitely fun! Sometimes I wish for a little quiet coloring time, but they are best friends and their energy is awesome too!
Birth order and expectations can be important. I had 4 older brothers, and got the same toys, bikes, trolleys and outdoor fun, plus dolls. We all got books. My daughter is so grateful she had an older brother. She said her friends without older brothers always had a lot of crap toys, too much was girly, pink and not long lasting, and no cars or trains. Lego and the trampoline were our best value for money; used every day.
Cute, but what of that had to do with gender? All those things apply to my girl
I have 3 sons 38, 36, 26 and 2 daughters 32, and 28. Yes boys are full of energy and yes they can sure eat! The one thing I have noticed now that they are grown, their stories from growing up, the boys talk about food. The cookies the brownies, the spaghetti, the FOOD. My girls, who are both Rn BSNs talk about what I, their mom didn’t do. They can remember something that happened when they were 2. They are critical of me, their mom! But my sons, always, no matter what, just love me. They hoot and holler about their kid adventures and their mom, who had chocolate chip cookies just out of the oven when they came in. Its crazy how that is. My sons still walk in and hug me with a kiss on the cheek.
My boys are 20, 15, 12 and 9. They never really outgrow the thing with wheels, they just move to more expensive ones – cars, trucks, trailers, dirtbikes, and because we live on a farm and can – tractors!!! LOL.