Emotional Boys

I have been thinking a lot about how to raise a boy.  I want to raise him to be a good man.  A man who treats others well, who is fair and kind.  I also want him to be a man's man.  To be strong and capable but at the same time I want him to be in touch with his emotions and his sensitive side.  So how do I do that?  How do you create that balance?

I feel it is important for children (boys especially) to be given words and ways of expressing their emotions.  I try to label T's feelings whether he is happy or sad but also when he is mad or frustrated.  I don't want to (for lack of a better word) make him a sissy I just want him to be aware of his feelings.  We play rough with T, let him get dirty, fall, get hurt and get back up.  We give him trucks and swords and "boy toys".  On the other hand, when he cries we cuddle him and tell him, "it's okay" and we love him.  T has a doll and a tea set.  Is this setting up the right balance?  Is there such a thing as "the right balance"?

I find myself thinking of T as a future grown-up, a member of society.  I try to think of the kind of man I want him to become.  I think of the men I have known, those in my life now and those that are no longer a part of it for whatever reason, and I try to think of all the good parts of those men and try to compile what it means to be a good man.

How do you teach a boy to be a good man?  I don't know.  I think it has to do with the role models a boy has (both male and female) and the interactions he sees and participates in.  I don't know the answers here I just hope we are setting T on the right path.

I'm No Writer

So I've been writing this blog for almost a year now and one thing I should have pointed out sooner I guess is, I'm not a writer. I'm sure this is quite obvious reading my posts. I feel like I need to make somethings clear here....This is just me writing whatever comes out of my head/heart. I write as if I am talking to somebody. So if things don't seem to be written properly, I'm sorry. Also I try to proof read these posts but sometimes I miss things and sometimes I just don't have time. That my dear is how it goes in the Mummyhood.

I have had a few people recently, point out some of my mistakes and again, I'm sorry. I was never a great English student. I know the people who have said something aren't saying it to be mean but as someone who has struggled with dyslexia it hits a little too close to home for me. It's one of my sensitive spots.

Having said that, I hope you are enjoying these and failing all else I hope they give you a laugh.

MadMen

I'm watching an old episode of the show Mad Men and sometimes wonder what it was like to live in those times. More specifically to be a women and a wife/mother in those times.

I have to admit I love the scene when the daughter is running around with a plastic dry cleaning bag on her head. The mother calls her over and says, that the clean clothes better not be on the floor or else she is in trouble. I love that that is the concern. Not that the kid has a plastic bag on her head but about the dry cleaning.

Now, this mamma wonders, is that a simpler time or an uneducated time??

A Day for Mamma

Somedays in our lives are about T....well most days are about T but that isn't the point. Somedays are about T, some R and somedays are all about ME! Today is one of those days. I have had a great mummy day. No, nothing exciting. No spa or mani/pedi or even a hair cut. It was just a great day.

My mum came to visit in the morning, so that occupied T all morning. Then after lunch and a nap T played with his uncle and then his other

grandparents. I enjoyed watching them play and some sunshine. Then this evening I enjoyed a MNO (mums night out). R took T out for dinner while I had a delicious glass of wine and got ready for dinner.

Today was the kind of day you want/need sometimes. A day where you

remember what you were like BC (before children). I felt like my old self today and loved it. Tonight especially, I felt like the 20-something girl I use to be. Getting

ready for a night on the town. A night of dinner and drinks, the only thing missing was dancing.

I feel younger then I have in awhile and must remember to do this

for myself again.....soon.

This mamma says, treat yourself to a night out once and awhile. It makes all the difference.