The JOYS and PAINS of having TWO SONS!

I grew up in a household full of girls, our Papa was the only male figure I had my entire life! I'm the youngest and I have two sisters. We had an organized household, there was peace and quiet. All the rooms were clean, tidy and everything had its place.

Fast forward to thirty-six years later I never imagined I would have two sons!  Two very active, adorable, lively, happy and did I mention “VERY ACTIVE” boys?! Everyday is an eye-opening experience for me and everyday I feel for all my fellow moms out there who like me have BOYS instead of GIRLS!

My boys! Miguel is 5.4 years old while Jaime is almost 3 years old :)

      Let me share with you MY list of the JOYS and PAINS of having TWO BOYS:

PAINS: If you have a son BE prepared to get hurt! Of course not intentionally but it’s guaranteed that they will accidentally hit you, kick you and even punch you! My sons almost always step on my hair when we are lying down! 

That's me under attack! This is a typical day in our household :)

JOYS: In their eyes I’m the QUEEN BEE, my boys cling to me whenever they see me. It’s always MAMA, MAMA, MAMA and I love it! I know this won’t last forever so I am enjoying it as best I could!

PAINS: My boys are very active even when they sleep! I’ve learned to sleep with a king size pillow covering me from my chin down to my hips. My boys reach out for me while they sleep and sometimes reaching out turns into punch like wallops that can really hurt! Thus the big pillow!

PAINS: I don’t know if it’s just my boys, but they seem to never run out of energy! They can run around continuously for hours and hours without getting tired.

PAINS: At just 5 years old and barely 3 years old, Miguel and Jaime can fight like there is no tomorrow! I’ve seen them pull each other’s shirts and wail as if their life depended on it!

JOYS: My boys can show their affection in ways that can make any mother’s heart melt. Miguel would chase me around so he can kiss my armpits! Something I can never get used to, but it’s something he loves to do! Jaime would give me a surprise shower of kisses that usually end in a giggle fest because I would eventually want him to stop since my whole face is already covered in his saliva!  Boys really know how to love their mom!

PAINS: With boys I think “accidents” can never be avoided, we’ve tried everything we could so they won’t get hurt but the occasional “bukol” and  wounds still occur.

PAINS: Our household is never quiet, there is always a boy laughing loudly, playing loudly, crying loudly, or asking for something, very loudly! 

 I woke up thinking Veegee must have called the carpenter to make repairs but then I saw the boys hammering away at our wall with their "fake" but still very noisy hammers! :)

JOYS: Anytime they get hurt, scared or worried my sons always look for me.  They don’t reach for their father or their yayas; who cared for them most of their lives, they ask for ME!

JOYS: My husband is having the time of his life! The boys look up to him and they have their father and son bonding moments, he looks at his sons as his “mini me’s!” 

Papa Veegee and his BOYS! :)

PAINS: Now that the boys are bigger it also means they are becoming stronger! Miguel at 5 is almost 4 feet tall and weighs 60 pounds! Jaime at barely 3 is 3.5 feet tall and weighs 45 pounds! They accidentally hit my nose the other week and I had to go see a doctor because my nose hurt and bled for days!

PAINS: Now that Miguel is going to a big school, I am realizing that teaching a boy is quite different from teaching a girl! Sometimes when we are doing his homework I feel I need to be as animated as I could so I can keep his attention. 

JOY: We have in our midst the opportunity to raise “sensitive and kind great men” that I as a mother wish would at least try to make a difference in this world.

I always pray that Veegee and I will be able to do a great job at raising these two boys!

PAINS: I’ve accepted that at this stage we can never have an organized bed, room or house. It feels just a few minutes after I’ve tidied everything up; shortly after, everything will be in a total mess once more. 

I just fixed the bed! They are getting ready to climb back up and mess everything up! :)

PAINS: Boys can turn anything into toys they can play with! We have an office chair at home that they use as an “improvised” transport device! They would ride the chair and push each other around all over the house. Any regular household item can be transformed into an instant toy when you have boys!

They can play with anything and everything, you'd be amazed!! :)

PAINS: When boys play they really PLAY, they shout, run around, chase after each other and make sure everything is in complete disarray! They know how to pack-away their toys but while they are playing you cannot touch anything.

Jaime is busy, he cannot be bothered! :)

PAINS: With boys there will be times when you will truly question your sanity. I’ve seen them scare their father to death by barging in on him while he was taking a nap! They came in the room shouting, screaming and jumped all over their sleeping father. He was terrified! 

The boys "torturing" their poor Papa! :) 

 JOYS: In this stressful world sometime it's great to just join the kids and just have fun! If we can't beat them we sometimes just join them! :) 

Papa Veegee having fun with the boys! :) 

 PAINS: With boys it's impossible to take great pictures! They have a very short attention span! 

We tried and tried but this is the best picture we have with our dear friends and all our kids! :)

A fellow mom once told me she always wished for a daughter, she said sons would never stay with their mother. I thought about what she said and I realized; I would never want my sons to stay with me forever anyway! I want them to grow up wanting to be their own person, for them to be able to fend for themselves and be whom ever they want to be. I know I won’t be around forever, why would I want my children to never let go. Its either I’m wired differently or I am just sour-graping because in the end it boils down to me not having a daughter.

I’d often wonder how it would feel to have a daughter. But then, one day a few months ago Miguel saw my CS scar, he knows that’s where he came from. He asked if my big booboo still hurt I said no, it’s fine now. He then asked; did it hurt when they opened you up so Jaime and I can go out? Without wanting to sugar coat everything for him; I told him, yes it hurt. He instantly cried and tears fell from his eyes; then he said, “ I’m sorry Mama!” I was amazed and shocked! I had to comfort him and let him know that it was ok and that my booboo is all better now, before he stopped crying. I told him it was all worth it because I have him and Jaime. I knew then and there it didn’t matter whether I had sons or daughters what mattered was God gave us these two amazing kids so Veegee and I can feel loved and blessed everyday of our lives!

Our FAMILY! :)