Before I was a mother, I never quite understood the meaning of #boymom and why boy moms were so loud and proud of the fact that they were, well, boy moms. I wasn’t welcome into the #boymom club until my second child was born, and even then, #boymom is typically a term for those moms with only boys, so I never really considered myself part of the #boymom movement. That was until I sat down to write a letter to my son on his first birthday. Overcome with emotion, I realized the true meaning of being a #boymom. (Trucks, dinosaurs, dirt, and stinky toes aside, of course.) // In raising you, my son, I’m raising a boy. Someone to be adventurous. Courageous. Helpful and brave. Someone rugged enough to play in the mud, yet sweet enough to give his momma kisses. In raising you, my son, I’m raising a man. Someone with integrity. Perseverance. Someone responsible and assertive. Someone confident enough to express himself, yet respectful enough to stand for his country. In raising you, my son, I’m raising a husband. Someone to be devoted and attentive. Honest and loyal. Someone to understand, love, and put his partner before himself. Someone strong enough to watch his wife deliver a child, yet weak enough to cry when he holds his baby for the first time. In raising you, my son, I’m raising a father. Someone to be a provider. A mentor and a coach. Someone patient and deliberate. Someone firm enough to discipline, yet gentle enough to wipe the tears away. In raising you, my son, I’m raising the patriarch of a family. Someone who is prideful. A leader. Generous and charitable. Someone vigilant enough to be a protector, yet steadfast enough to follow God’s path. In raising you, my son, I’m raising your momma’s boy. Someone kind-hearted and compassionate. Empathetic and remorseful. Someone dignified enough to speak at his mother’s funeral, yet fragile enough to hold his weeping father. In raising you, my son, I’m raising you to let you go. To begin anew. To continue onward with the morals and ethics instilled in you. To pursue the tradition of family. To bear the family name. And to do so with honor and gratitude. // And that is the thing about #boymoms. They are loving. And longing. And holding on to letting go. // “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to be with his wife, and they become one flesh.” -Genesis 2:24
