Raising a boy is so easy, I could do it with my eyes closed!

I’ve been given this awesome task of raising a boy and I’ve been trying my hardest to mess up at every step. He is actually coming out okay so far and I’m not really sure how, but let me just tell you what I’ve tried and maybe you can give me some insight.

I gave up on breast feeding.

I tried it. He did well on it. I have these really funky nipples so I had to use a nipple guard and I ended up pumping a lot so Hubby could feed him or just because it was easier on the boy and on me. I breast fed for about 3 months, but I was back at work at 2 months so I gave up.

Somehow this boy is still totally bonded to me. He is healthy and rarely gets sick. He loves to be with me for everything and enjoys his time with Daddy as well. Go figure. I listened to him and my own body and it worked!

I took him to daycare at 8 weeks.

My income was the main income for our family when I had our boy. I stretched my maternity leave from 6 to 8 weeks and they needed me bad enough that they gave in. I cried almost all day on the first day back to work and then took a short day to go pick up my baby because I was sure that he was missing me as much as I was missing him.

My boy was smiling so big when I picked him up that first day that I had to go straight to the photo studio to get pics made. He was as happy as can be and loved daycare. He still does. That boy loves his teachers and friends, loves learning, is the most well-behaved kid there, and then runs and jumps into my arms every.single.day. when I pick him up!

The kid sleeps in my bed.

We have a family bed, you know that already. We didn’t always. I’m a safety specialist so I know about Safe Sleep. The boy did not sleep with us until he was almost 3 years old. Now, I can’t seem to convince him to get out, but Kindergarten is coming so it has to happen.

This kid loves to cuddle. At night, we all settle in together and talk about our days. We all say goodnight and tell each other I love you. Most nights, the boy and I will stay up a little just chatting about his day and what we hope to dream about. Some nights, he begs for a double kiss on his cheeks from Daddy and me at the same time. He sleeps good and feels secure and it works for us.

I send him away regularly.

Probably not as much as I would if I could, but this kid has to go away sometimes. He is away this week at my sister’s house and Hubby and I have been enjoying our time together. I like to send our boy away with his grandparents or aunts from time to time so I can miss him.

He loves it! He likes to go away and spend time with whoever will take him. He doesn’t really miss us much or whine for us unless he is completely exhausted or bored. But he totally loves coming back!

{I love this video of my boy getting off the plane after his first BIG trip to Colorado with his Granny.}

I’m totally lazy and like to sleep.

So does he, sometimes. On the weekends, we like to take some lazy time and cuddle in the bed and watch cartoons. I like to do this quite a bit more than he does. Since he was about 3 years old, we would watch cartoons and I would doze off a little, but he always wakes me back up to start a new cartoon or to show me something funny.

Despite my extreme laziness, my boy loves sports and fun time. He started with t-ball, then basketball, karate, and we’re back at t-ball again. He loves to jump on his trampoline or shoot hoops outside. He also loves to play on his own a little (this is new) and he has recently decided that our walk-in closet is his doctor’s office for the dogs.

I don’t clean…at…all.

I hate cleaning. I don’t like to do laundry. I don’t do dishes, that’s Hubby’s job. I might bag up the trash from time to time, but then I leave the bag for Hubby to take outside. Sometimes things will pile up and I will get frustrated and go on a cleaning spree for about 10 minutes or so, but that’s not a common occurrence around my house.

My boy likes to clean. He likes to help and he wants to do jobs like wash the dishes and mop the floor. I like to make him happy and I don’t want to hear him whine, so we clean. It works. I’m just glad that he is not embracing the dirty house lifestyle!

I don’t feel guilty…often.

You see, all of these things I’ve listed are great reasons for me to feel guilty as a mom. I’m trying to raise a boy to be a man and to be a successful human being. I’m screwing up at every turn, but my boy is resilient and he is becoming the type of person I would love to be. He is teaching me to be better and I think that is amazing.

I am a good mom.

I don’t admit this to myself very often, but deep inside I know that I do what is right for my boy. This past weekend, my aunt from Arkansas was in town for my sister’s baby shower. I haven’t seen Susan in several years and although she saw my boy when he was born, we think she has only seen him one other time when he was maybe 2 years old. She spent a lot of time getting to know my boy this weekend and on Tuesday, she sent me this text:

When I get a compliment like this, I am always floored. I know that I do my best, but I also know that sometimes our best is not what others think are right. I know that we can’t all be what others think is right, but I also don’t want to send my kid into the world needing lots of therapy and not knowing about the world.

My response to something like this is usually that my boy is a blessing from God and he teaches ME how to be a better person. He is beautiful, loving, caring, and adorable despite us, not because of us. I know in my heart that this is not completely true because we try very hard, but I also know that we have made every “mistake” that can possibly be made. Yet, he is thriving and because of that I feel like a Strong Mom. Because of that, I am committed to this StrongMoms Empower pledge.

StrongMoms Empower

It’s time for moms to feel good about the decisions they make for their children and their families.

The StrongMoms Empower campaign, brought to you by Similac, is a call-to-action to create a more supportive and less judgmental environment, online and off.

In support of this message, I am urging you to visit StrongMomsEmpower.com to take the StrongMoms Empowerment Pledge. By taking the pledge and sharing the badge, you can commit to acceptance versus judgment.

Have you felt judged, accepted, or empowered? Share your story with me!

I took the StrongMoms Empowerment pledge at BlissDom this year. I am participating in a blog campaign with One2One Network. I have not received any payment or compensation of any kind for sharing this message. All stories and opinions are my own.