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48 Things You Need to Know About Being a Boy Mom

Inside:  Expecting a baby boy?  Buckle up!  Here are 48 things you need to know about being a boy mom

2 happy boys 48 Things you need to know about raising sons

I rubbed my baby bump as I walked through the hallway of my little boys’ pre-school.  It was a small school where everyone knew one another.  A teacher from another class passed by and asked, “Is it a girl this time?” “No, we’re having a boy,” I answered. “Oh, man!” she sounded disappointed. 

 But I wasn’t.  My fourth little boy was baking, and I couldn’t wait for him to join his brothers. Because I knew what fun he’ll have with a boy tribe like ours.

So what is it like to be a boy mom?  What should you expect when you’re raising boys?  There are so many exciting things going on throughout the day, some things will make your heart flutter, some will melt it, and some will make it beat faster than you thought possible.

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You may be wondering,

What does “boy mom” mean?

A boy mom is a mother to one or more boys. The term is commonly connected to mothers who only have sons. But in reality, a boy mom is a mother that has at least one son and understands the unique challenges and gifts of raising boys. She may or may not have daughters. If you’re a mama to boys and girls, you are both a boy mom and a girl mom. The term boy mom is often used to connect to and identify with fellow boy moms. 

Here are 48 things you need to know about being a boy mom

1. Your days are never dull

There’s always something going on.  If you don’t have an activity planned for them, they’ll come up with something on their own.  When you learn how they decided to entertain themselves, you may or may not have a heart attack just a little bit.

2. You may see blood more often than you’d like

Boys play rough.  They climb on things.  They fall off of things.  Have plenty of bandaids and a disinfecting cream on hand. And if you have a lot of boys, you’ll see that much more blood. That’s the challenge of having energetic boys. Seek comfort in other mothers of boys. They’ll understand.

3. You are their queen

As a mother of boys, your sons see you as the center of their universe, their comfort zone.  You are their first love.  Until a certain age, they really do think you know everything.  Which doesn’t necessarily mean they will listen to everything you say. There aren’t many things boys won’t do for their mama.

4. Boys can be gross

You’ll be asking, “Did you wash your hands?” more times than you think about coffee throughout the day.  And if you’re a mom to multiple boys, half of your daily word bandwidth will be this five-word phrase.  And showers?  What showers?  You’ll hear, “Can I go run in the rain instead?” And other creative ideas to avoid showers. 

5. Boys wrestle every chance they get

They will wrestle with each other.  The oldest son will wrestle with the youngest, and the middle son will jump in, too. They will wrestle with daddy.  They will wrestle with the giant stuffed bear they got for Christmas.  They’ll gladly wrestle with you, too.

6. They give tackle hugs

Boys love their mama.  They are also strong.  They may surprise you with tackle hugs that may leave you flat on your back.  You’ve got to have eyes in the back of your head so you can see it coming and make sure you land softly.

7. You will need to put all the breakable home decor away

When you’re raising boys, no matter how many times you repeat “No balls in the house”, balls (and other bouncing and flying objects) mysteriously end up indoors anyway.  To save all your pretty, breakable home decor, put it all away for a few years. As a mom of boys, you may have to embrace home decor minimalism for a while.  

8. Say goodbye to the white couch

If you have white couches in the house, hug them goodbye, because they won’t stay white for long.

9. Beware of the dangle

When your baby son first discovers his wee-wee, be prepared.  He’ll probably try to pull it off.  You will have to get creative to turn his attention to something more captivating.  This will be hard.  Because dangling things are fun for baby boys.

10. Naked bum-bums

As a boy mom, you will have to find convincing arguments to explain to your toddler boy that people need to put pants on in order to go to the park.

11. Farts and burps

Being a boy mom means getting used to little boys’ incessant need to produce somewhat unpleasant sounds. There’s something about emitting extra bodily air that boys are fascinated with.  If they have no natural air to emit, they will make farting and burping sounds using other means.  And they will throw in some fart jokes, too. Be prepared.

12. Messes

Boys like to make messes and get messy.  Daily baths and showers (sometimes multiple times a day) will be a boy mama’s best friend.

little boy playing in the dirt

13. They smell like dirt

There’s a moment every boy mom knows when their little boy’s heavenly baby smell changes into something that smells suspiciously like dirt and wet birds.

14. Don’t leave them alone with a bottle of soap

Whether they’re in the bathtub, the shower or at the kitchen sink, hide all the extra soap from your boys.  Or you‘ll end up with no soap and a bubbly tower that may or may not fall onto your bathroom floor.

15. The toilet is never clean

No matter how many times you teach your boys the aiming skill, they’ll still miss the target.  You may have to put your foot down and require every member of the household to take a seat before doing their business.  This house rule will save every mom of boys hours of cleaning and bottles of cleaning supplies.

16. Lots of laundry

Your washer and dryer will be put to good use.  Probably daily.  Possibly more than once per day.

17. Safe and fun don’t co-exist

You’ll try and try, but you may never find the balance between safe and fun. If it’s safe, it’s not fun for young boys. And if it’s fun, it’s often not very safe. Like throwing rocks. And jumping down the stairs across 8 steps.

18. You’ll probably go gray sooner

When you raise boys, don’t be surprised if you find a gray hair or two at forty.  Or thirty.  Life with boys gives you variety, even with your own hair color.

19. Boys are cuddly and snuggly

Boys are sweet.  Contrary to popular belief, boys love a good snuggle.  It’s probably due to the popular belief that they try to pull away and only give their mama a quick hug after a certain age. It’ll be hard when your first boy pulls away from a hug for the first time. But if you’re always willing to give him a hug and a kiss when he’s ready, he’ll come back around in no time.

20. Boys will give you flowers

When you’re out on a walk, your little boy will run off into the bushes and come back with a flower for mommy.  Never refuse those flowers.  Even if they’re full of crawling creatures, as it happened to this boy mama (me!) with the bouquet below. I will remember this bouquet my entire life.

a wild flower bouquet for mama

21. “Danger” is not in their vocabulary

Boys have a little interpreter in their heads that interprets the word “danger” into “fun”.  “It’s dangerous you say?  Sounds like fun, let’s do it!”

22. Legos everywhere

You may have a hard time with this one. Every mom of a boy or two or more should rely on house slippers to rescue her.  If you’ve ever stepped on a Lego with a bare foot, you know the indescribable pain.  Spare yourself and wear slippers in the house.  Or get rid of the legos.  Your call.

23. You’ll find strange things in the most uncommon places

When you’re a mother of boys, you tend to misplace things. Or so you think. Did you lose your stash of double-A batteries?  Look under the couch cushions.  Can’t find scissors anywhere?  Look inside the shoes.  Can’t find the dish soap?  Look in the back yard, your boys may or may not have tried to wash some rocks with it.

24. Boys are always on the move

Climbing, jumping, and running is life for little boys. They have a lot of energy that never seems to end. Every mom who’s raising boys knows it’s in their blood.

boys like to climb on things

25. Boys are loud

As much as you wish little boys came with volume controls, they don’t.  Noise is part of life when you’re a boy mom.

26. They make up quickly

Boys fight with each other, and it takes them no time to become best friends again.  Brotherly bond is real. Here’s some practical advice from one boy mama to another: Let them try to resolve their differences on their own before stepping in to help. Learning how to make up at a young age will help them continue to be close friends when they’re grown up.

four brothers brotherly bond

27. Boys love to make you laugh

Boys are funny, they love to laugh, and they love it when you laugh, too.  Which makes a boy mom’s life that much better.

28. They will make swords and guns out of everything

No matter how much you try to avoid toy weapons, boys will still make guns out of legos and swords out of sticks.  It doesn’t mean they’re violent.  It means they’re boys. It’s part of being a boy mom.

29. Boys are protectors

Boys will fight with one another but when an outsider picks on one of their own, your first son will stand up for his younger brothers and vice versa.  They will stand up for you, too, if they ever feel the need. And it’s a very good thing.

30. Boys are full of energy

As a mother of boys, you’ll wish you had half the energy they have. Little boys can literally be on the move the entire day, and then they’ll tell you they’re not tired and they don’t want to go to bed.

31. Their clothes don’t last

Ripped pants and shirts are a regular occurrence. Moms of boys learn to deal with it.

32. Boys will want to wear the same outfit all week

And it’s not the outfit you would have picked for them. 

33. Boys don’t care about looking handsome

They would rather be comfy. They’d rather wear their favorite shirt day in and day out.

34. Boys will want to wear out of season clothes

Shorts in the winter and hoodies in the summer is always their first choice. This might get frustrating for a boy mama.

35. They can have a whole discussion about unlikely things

Farts, dead bugs, rocks, you name it.  Boys can have a long conversation about boy topics that you’d never thought needed more than a word or two.

36. Toy Cars are all over the house

Big cars, small cars, matchbox cars, remote control cars, and flying cars will be a boy mom’s new home decor. They’ll be on the floor, on bookshelves, on the kitchen table, and inside of your shoes. No matter how often you move them to the toy bin, in a strange way they magically end up back where they were, and this happens on a daily basis.

Raising boys means toy cars everywhere

37. Boys hold their pee until the last moment

Okay boy mama, here’s the thing.  Boys like to be everywhere, do everything, and they don’t like to miss out on anything.  Taking a bathroom break means they’re missing out on the fun.  So they hold it in until they can hold no more.

38. They will want to show you the same thing over and over again

“Look, mommy!” Is a phrase boy moms hear often.  Over and over and over again.  You lift up your eyes, and you look.  Because he really wants you to see something, and it’s very important.  You look again and again, as long as he needs you to look.  And then you tell him how awesome he did on that new thing he’s trying to master.

39. Random things will fly at your face followed by “Sorry mommy!”

I As a mom of boys, you may need to make a construction helmet a part of your daily wardrobe.

40. Boys can scream for no reason

I can’t say it’s the best thing about being a boy mom. The first time it happens, you’ll find yourself running to see who lost their arm, but after a few false alarms, you’ll tell them not to scream like that unless someone is bleeding.  But they’ll still scream.  Brace yourself. This is boy mom life.

41. Furniture is their playground

Boys will climb, jump off, and bounce on everything in the house.

furniture is little boys playground

42. They’ll bring gross stuff inside

You’ll find rusty nails, dirty rocks, dead beetles and fireflies.  It’s part of life when you’re a boy mom.

43. They pick their nose in public

If something itches, they will itch it.  If something’s stuck in their nose, they’ll try to pick it out.  No matter where they are.

44. Boys are silly

Silliness is part of being a boy.  They will always make a boy mama’s day.  If it’s not with hugs, flowers, or jokes, it’ll be with silliness.  

boys are silly

45. They make great friends

Stay friends with your sons as you raise them, and you’ll always have a friend to lean on.

46. Your sons will want to marry their mama

When one of my boys said he wanted to marry me, I smiled, shrugged my shoulders, and said, “That’s so sweet sunny-boy, but you can’t marry me.”  “Why not?” he asked.  “Because I’m already married,” I answered.  He sighed and made his peace with having to marry someone other than mommy.

47. They’re lots of fun

If I didn’t mention fun more than once, I wouldn’t have gotten my point across.  Fun is life for little boys.

48. Your golden days are made

When my twins were three, we had a conversation as I drove them to an activity.  It went something like this:  3-year-old: “When I grow up, I will buy a car and I will drive you to church and to the restaurant.”  His twin added: “And I will drive you to the doctor and to school!”  Their 2-year-old brother wanted to take care of mommy, too: “I will drive you to the stores and back home to daddy!” So remember, as you’re raising boys, you’re raising gentlemen that will want to care for you. Let them.

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I love being a mom to boys and you will, too

Raising boys is hard work, and if you’re a boy mom, you literally deserve a medal. If you want to flaunt your boy mom status, here are some fun boy mom shirts, perfect for a mama raising boys.

Boys will be boys. Have you ever heard the saying, “Boys never grow up, their toys just get bigger”? If you see daddy playing in the mud with your boys, or wrestling on the grass, or swinging on a rope swing, instead of wishing he’d just grow up, go and join in on the fun. Feel that young child inside, and let her go play. 

Because boys never grow up. They just get bigger. And that’s what makes a boy mom’s life that much more exciting.

Have fun raising amazing boys into good men and enjoy your motherhood!

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9 Comments

  1. Love this post! I am also a mom of boys (2) and this post is so accurate! My 4 year old goes from terrifying me with his dangerous stunts to making me laugh at his silliness to melting my heart with his great big hugs and always bringing me flowers. And yes, somehow everything gets turned into a weapon! 😀

  2. Thanks a lot for sharing this. Some of it I experienced it and I was laughing while reading, remembering my sons, but some I will be waiting for them for sure, and I found some of the things they do to me that I didn’t understand it then. “Ahaaaaa” Now I know. I am a mom of 3 boys. All under 4 years old. Thank you so much.

  3. I am so nervous to be a first time Mom, and a boy Mom. While reading this I was smiling, laughing, and tearing up a few times too. It calmed my heart so much. Thank you.

    1. I’m so happy to hear this Tori, thank you for writing. Congratulations on your baby boy, you’ll be a great mom! ❤️

  4. I’m currently expecting and am already a boy mom. My oldest is 14 and I was REALLY hoping for a girl but alas I have another little man on the way. I came here to not remind myself to be sad and it for sure helped 🙂

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