Boy Mom

When I was pregnant and started sharing that I was having a boy, I was given so much unsolicited advice about what I needed to do to raise a boy. “You know that you have to be tough with boys, and they aren’t supposed to do all that crying. You have to be firm and don’t baby him. You don’t want him to be weak.” Whoa…what about being kind, or loving, or having integrity? Needless to say, I hated all of this and shut down everyone who involuntarily gave me advice about how to raise my son.

The stigma surrounding how boys are “supposed to be” makes my stomach hurt, and I don’t want my son growing up thinking he can’t be vulnerable because that’s not “tough.” I am a Boy Mom, and there are several things that I want my son to learn from me. None of these things are going to make him any less of a “real boy,” but they will definitely make him an awesome human being, and that is my ultimate goal.

Nolan Grey, my sweet 2 year old little boy, is already learning so many things from me. He mediates with me which teaches him how to calm himself. He has his own yoga practice (he’s a year in) which is teaching him patience, self-love, and responsibility. When he falls or hurts himself and cries, I tell him it’s alright, to get it all out, so that he knows there’s nothing wrong with having feelings and feeling them.

So, I will continue to teach my sweet Nolan Grey that being kind is what smart people do, that being noble is what makes him a champion, and that being vulnerable makes him real. I will continue to raise him to be a leader, to be kind first, and to lead with love. Raising an awesome human being is my ultimate goal…and don’t worry, he’s still a boy.

~The Fit Mom