What’s so great about being a mother of boys? Here are 15 wonderful things to love about having a son…and it’s not exhaustive!

Got boys?

Yeah, me too.

Four of them.

Our oldest son and then three younger boys.

And I can’t believe no one told me how wonderful being a mom of boys could be.

Not that I don’t love my girls—you know I do! But boys? They’re some of the best.

And if you ever spent much time around them….you would certainly understand why.

So I began a list of a few things that I love about having boys.

At first, it was going to be “10 Things That I Love,” but then I had such a hard time limiting it to “10” that I upped it to 15.

Maybe 150.

So really, this is only a starter list. Because I’m sure, you’ll have a thing or two to add to what I’ve got here. But this is what I came up with . . . .

15 Things I Love About Being A Mom of Boys

1.

Boys are awesome! There’s so much to appreciate in our sons and something to know about loving them. Some really GREAT advice here – from a mom who knows!

I was terrified that my pregnancy was going to result in a boy because I had no idea what to do with one of those.

We did the no-find-out thing, so it wasn’t until after three hours of labor that I heard the doctor say, It’s a boy! That was after my husband subtly turned off the television in the room, so the doctor would look at me instead of ESPN.

That was my first lesson in boys. They cannot split their attention between ESPN and a woman who is in labor.

So I took home a little boy. Six pounds, seven ounces. Now his shoes weigh more than that, and he’s about to graduate from high school. That boy of mine is handsome and charming, and he has my heart wrapped around his little finger.

I’ve learned some things about raising my own boy, so here are some helpful tips…

First, invest in a good mirror for your bathroom.

What would you say was the best thing I did for you? That’s the question I asked our son as he was leaving for college. His answer rather surprised me….

What would you say was the best thing I did for you?

He didn’t reply.

….you know, as your mom?

Soon to take off for college across the country, I couldn’t help asking before he left. In our years together, what had mattered most? Between mother and son.

He remained silent, but I could see now that he was thoughtfully considering the question.

Eventually, the answer came.

You listened to me.

Really. Out of all the things I’d done for him over those past 18 years? Funny, that listening would stand out in his mind.

Not the meals.

Not the laundry.

Not the lessons nor the lectures.

Not even the stories read aloud.

It’s that I’d listened – merely listened while he spilled out his everyday thoughts, his fears, his hopes, and his plans. I heard his little boy’s heart and, later on, his young man dreams.

He was nearly sixteen.

A young man with much on his mind and much to do. His days were packed with school, friends, sports, dreams, and goals.

And his goal on that day was to get to the bicycle shop. So I’d offered to take him there since I had to run into town anyway.

But I was pressed for time, so the plans changed, and his father said he could take him in rather than me. Problem solved.

Then imagine my surprise when I watched our son’s face fall. He was going to be able to get his bike fixed – didn’t he understand that?

He quietly explained, “But I was looking forward to the time with you, Mom.”

Me?? His mom?

His answer caught me so off-guard that I couldn’t speak for a moment or two. But when I finally found my voice, I immediately changed plans. One more time.

I’ll take you, Son. Let’s go. Right now. I’ve got all the time you need.

I realized now that this wasn’t as much about a mountain bike as it was about a young man’s heart.

Being captivated by a good chapter book can be a challenge in our screen-driven society. But these may well capture your kids attention!

Like many families from the ’90s, I have fond memories of our Saturday mornings. But unlike many others, it wasn’t Saturday morning cartoons that pulled us from our beds on the weekend—it was the kid’s radio programs on our Christian radio station.  

It wasn’t quite as simple as just getting up and turning on the radio, however. Because we lived in Alaska and our station was transmitted from a different time zone, we either had to get up at 4 a.m. to hear our favorite programs or talk my brother into getting up and taping them for us.

One way or another, we almost always caught our favorite shows—Ranger Bill, The Sugar Creek Gang, and the iconic Adventures in Odyssey. Listening to these radio shows blaring through the house on Saturday mornings will forever be one of my favorite childhood memories.

Along with loving radio programs, I was also an avid reader. I read books faster than my parents could supply them and the books I loved best were historical novels.

I have two sons, a freckled seven-year-old with sparkling hazel eyes and a jolly, roly-poly baby.

My greatest desire is that they will know they are loved: by the Lord, by me, and by others. Unconditionally. And I want to be a voice of encouragement and affirmation in their lives. So I was thrilled to hear that Rachael Denhollander has written a book that celebrates how much a little boy is worth.

And as it turns out, little boys are worth, well, everything. 

Affirming Your Little Boy’s Worth

How Much Is A Little Boy Worth is a lovely and heartfelt picture book. With lyrical prose and glowing illustrations, it’s just right for snuggling up and sharing with your little boy.

It reminds me a bit of the classic I’ll Love You Forever in style, but I personally find this one much more substantial. My son told me he really liked the illustrations, and I enjoyed the variety of settings and ethnicities portrayed in the pictures. The scenes will be familiar and relatable to most boys ages 3-8, the age range I’d recommend for this book. 

In a world that is conflicted about what manhood looks like, our sons can hear conflicting messages.

I designed this rite of passage for my own motherhood, where I would be the one who would grow into something new. The result was simply wonderful!

This is SO important and such a great approach to raising sons! I love how she shows that this rite of passage is a win-win for both mom and son.

It is his freshman year at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas, and he was coming home to Montana for spring break. Tender thoughts filled my heart as I pictured his size 11’s covering half the entryway floor again.

“Now listen,” I said to myself before he got home.

“He’s not a little boy anymore. He’s a full-grown man who has lived without your help for six months now.” I took myself by the shoulders. “Time to stop mothering him near to death. Are you listening to me? During this spring break, you are going to treat him like a man. You’re not going to wag your finger at him all week.”

I did well while he was here, except for one slip when I said to him, “You only brought one pair of pants with you?”

“I’m not good at packing,” he told me, throwing me his charming smile that has always gotten him out of trouble.

How can a mom encourage her sons to seek after God? There are a few important and practical things a parent can do to help lead your sons to seek God.

I couldn’t stand it a minute longer.

I just had to check on him. Make sure he was okay after receiving such a blow. Such a devastating blow for a young man. How would he recover? I was aching to know.

But our son had closed himself off in his room to work it through. Alone. And there was nothing I could do for him. Nothing for this mama to do but wait outside the door and pray.

It seemed so quiet in there—awfully quiet.

And then I heard him.

I could hear his voice. He was singing his heart out to the Lord. Calling on His Name. Pouring out his pain before Him.

Our son was seeking after God.

So when did that happen? When did that subtle change from boyhood to manhood begin? And when did he start looking less to us and more to Christ?

Do you want to teach your son the important things in life? Here are some strong and helpful suggestions!

Isn’t it amazing how much you can learn in one trip to the library?

Most every week I take one . . . or more . . . of the boys with me for a Library Date.

So I took all THREE boys – ages 8, 10, and 12.

The boys raced for the entrance door, but then the oldest stayed behind and held the door open for the person who had come up the walk behind us.

Warming my mother’s heart.

Still smiling as we walked toward the Children’s section, I watched as our youngest boy cut right in front of this white-haired lady. Nearly knocking her off her feet. Whoosh! 

I gasped a little.

Thankfully, she was sweet about it.

But honestly!

I pulled my son in close to me and whispered in his ear, “Son, don’t you see what you just did? You ran in front of that lady and nearly tripped her to the ground.”

His intelligent response went something like this .

Do you pray for your child’s future spouse? Here’s a hope-filled prayer for his bride-to-be.

I can tell you the exact moment I began praying for our son’s bride-to-be.

Maybe not the month.

Or even the year.

But definitely the moment.

I’m sure there must have been a context of some kind, but most of those details have faded and now all I can remember are the words that he said.

“I want the kind of wife who would be able to pull an arrow out of my back. That kind of woman.”

He was only 11 or 12 years old at the time, so why he would be thinking such thoughts I’ll never know.

All I know is that it stopped my mama’s heart.

This brought up so many questions I wanted to ask him. Starting with, “Why, Son? Why an arrow?” Then, “Why would it be in your back?” and “Who would do such a thing?” and so on.

And finally, “Where in the world do you get these ideas from??”

It was our first conversation about his someday bride-to-be. But it wouldn’t be our last.