Smashing, Crashing... and Cuddling

Raising a boy... there is nothing quite like it. I know some boys who aren't this way... but if a person should spend any amount of time with Lucas they'll say: "He's all boy." Literally and figuratively... yes, he's all boy.


Last night, he was in a "shootout" with the boy who was bagging our groceries. At first the gun issue was something that really rubbed me the wrong way. I was worried about the idea of guns and violence... but no matter what I did to try and prevent this fascination from developing in my child, it happened. Shooting is like, the coolest thing ever.

Lucas holding his Train Rocket Ship...of course.

We constantly talk about things like rocket ships, trains and cool trucks. While riding in the car Lucas will exclaim: "Mom, look at that!", while pointing to a crane or a cement truck.  He seeks out conversations about how things work or why things are the way they are. "What's that? is our biggest conversation starter.

My largest complaint when playing with Lucas is "being gentle"...it's a battle that seems endless. Smashing, crashing, booming and throwing are all fun in his book... but dangerous in mine. I long to have a boy who can be tender and use soft hands when handling small animals, small children and his mother. Fighting the good fight against roughness will be the end of me, for sure.

As Lucas grows, I'm continually amazed at how different he is from his niece, Brooklynn. Brooklynn is "all girl", so you can imagine how vast the differences are between the two loves of my life. That darling little girl can play with hair, clothes, makeup... all day long. Lucas could care less. And some days... having a little girl around sounds divine.

But for now... this little boy is all I have, and most of the time I'm tickled at his boyishness. His defiance, fists clenched, running everywhere and all the time. His humor and the snuggles... every day or so he says: "Mom, come... come here. Snuggle me." And then I melt and realize how much I love the boy... all of him. Dirt, scrapes, loud mouth and all.