It Wasn’t Mud

It all started when he was in utero.

The kicks, the rolls, the punches were NONSTOP.  Most nights you’d find me leaping as high as a big ol’ pregnant girl could leap off of the couch because he was diving headfirst into my pelvis.

And now, 18 months into this whole mama-of-a-boy gig and his behavior on the outside is exactly like his behavior was on the inside.

He is a constantly moving, always climbing, trouble-making, boundlessly energetic, dirt-loving, everything-throwing, loud, wild little boy.

And I am completely wrapped around his dirty little fingers, but whew, am I tired.

I started this whole mama thing with a daughter.  A daughter who loves to sit and read books, who loves to help me bake, who loves to play with her baby dolls, who does not love to be dirty or sticky or messy.  A daughter who is cautious and careful and hesitant and particular and shy and type-A and emotional and dramatic.

And then Everette enters stage left and I’m like SAVE OUR SHIP.

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How in the world do you mama a boy?!

A boy who runs away from you the minute he knows you’re about to scoop him up, a boy who rearranges furniture so that he can climb on top of anything and everything, a boy who will throw whatever he can find all the way across the room, a boy who walks up to innocent children at storytime and pushes them down or squeezes their faces or steals their toys (to the mama at the library this morning – again, I apologize).

A boy who, just the other day, decided to take it upon himself to ignore the huge bin of outdoor toys on our back deck and, instead, play with DOG POOP.

Yes, you read that right… dog poop.

I was in the kitchen making lunch and watching the kids out of the window while they played in the backyard.  I swear I looked down for two seconds to cut the peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches into RECTANGLES PLEASE (per the picky, type-A four-year-old).  I looked back up and noticed E was covered in mud.

Except it wasn’t mud.

I cross my heart, promise that I haven’t passed a single judgment on another mama since becoming a mama myself.  However, I apologize to all of the mamas I quietly side-eyed before joining the motherhood club… the mamas who had wild, nonstop kids who came into the room like wrecking balls.  I used to wonder, why don’t you have control of your kid?

Now, I get it.

So let us all raise a glass to the mamas of boys.

Or, raise a glass for me since I can’t even celebrate surviving another day as a boy mom until I am no longer with child (come ooooon, September).

And if you have any tips on how to raise a boy after traveling through the trenches of motherhood for four years battling only girly dramatics and emotions, let me know!  In the meantime, I’ll be arming myself with O’Douls and chocolate and lots (and lots) of deep breaths.

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Jessie Peele
Jessie is a happy-hour-loving, cupcake-eating, running-obsessed, reality-tv-addicted single mama, currently living in Carrollton, GA. She was born and raised in Columbia, SC, attended Clemson University (Go Tigers!), and taught elementary school for about ten years in Winston Salem, NC. Life brought her to Carrollton in January of 2014, and after four years in Georgia she's still getting used to living in a small town. Jessie was a stay-at-home mama for 3.5 years, but when life took an unexpected turn, she became a divorced mama who found her way back to the classroom. With three kids in tow (Cameron Kate, 7, Everette, 4, and Brooks, 2), she is now a full-time elementary school teacher and a part-time skincare business owner via Rodan + Fields. In the nooks and crannies of her day, she loves running (bonus if it's WITHOUT the stroller!), binge-watching on Netflix, baking and eating anything sweet, drinking a good craft beer/vodka cocktail/cold margarita, and blogging about all things mama-hood on her blog Cupcakes & Running Shoes: http://cupcakesandrunningshoes.blogspot.com/.

8 COMMENTS

  1. Love this soooo much, Jessie! I haven’t had the poop incident yet ? But my son is just the same! He pummeled me in utero, came out kicking, and hasn’t stopped moving since! I like to joke that as a quiet, cautious kid, I always wanted to know where my boundaries were so I could be in the exact geometric center of them… Julian wants to know where his boundaries are so he can see just how far outside them he can get at all times!

  2. Jesse! As a mom of 3 boys I can absolutely relate (only x3 😉 ) you nailed it to the T and I am here to tell you that it only gets wilder and crazier. Yesterday we were at a neighborhood birthday party and at the end of the birthday song, my 4 year old just stuck his tongue out and started licking this sweet little girls birthday cake ? Everyone except for my husband and I were in shock. These days nothing shocks us! They are completely unpredictable. Like a summer afternoon thunderstorm in FL. And yes, I truly feel like only boy moms can understand that no matter how many times you say don’t throw that toy, don’t climb on that, and my favorite; take your hands out of your pants, boys will be boys and we can just sit back enjoy the show, pray and collect the ER bills. Cheers to boy mamas!

  3. I SO relate! Keep up the good work, and I look forward to hearing everyone’s advice as I wrangle my 2 year old. =)

  4. I have two boys and one girl – the boys are 18 & 2.5 and both ends of the spectrum – teenager & toddler – have me hanging on the edge of a cliff by my fingernails.

    The older one was always very laid back as a toddler. Yes, he was a climber, an early walker & talker and hasn’t stopped since. He was a great sleeper & such a ‘go-with-the-flow’ kind of kid.

    And then I had Kaden 2.5 years ago…

    We were warned each time we had an ultrasound. I remember the tech said “which one of you can’t sit still?” Then said “good luck with this one.”

    I swear he was doing that tap-dancing move where the dancer is wildly waving their arms and legs at the same time. And that has been his personality since the moment he came into the world.

    I can so relate to every word you wrote. Cheers Mama.

  5. Hang in there! My boy is 13 now – still very active, but loves his mama and does not love playing with poop! 😉

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