The Joy Of A Boy

I read an article in People magazine about celebrity moms and the little boys they are raising that made me start thinking about my own little boy.  I love being his mom.  Regardless of how many times we've been up in the night (it was only once last night!) or how horrible he behaves in the store (stop that RIGHT NOW or you won't get to ride the Batmobile) or how many bite marks I have on my shoulder from temper tantrums (the last one just healed up and we haven't had a new one in about a week).

When I found out I was pregnant, I was certain that I was having a boy.  I pulled out my copies of Bringing Up Boys and The Way Of The Wild Heart and started reading.  I read about disciplining a boy and the Beloved Son stage of a boy's life.  I read about the different needs that boys have from their mothers and their fathers and how to see the world through the eyes of a little boy.  The week before my 22 week ultrasound, I was so desperate for a son that I convinced myself that I was having a girl and allowed myself to grieve for the loss of my hopes and dreams.  Imagine my delight when I found out I was indeed carrying a precious little boy!

2.0 is a warm light in my life.  He's like a shaft of sunshine coming through the window on a cloudy morning.  He's brightness and warmth and a call to rise from the comfort of my life before him.  I can't remember what life was like before 2.0 was here.  He's a ball of energy that curls up with me on the couch to watch Wreck It Ralph.  He screams and bites and throws temper fits when he doesn't understand what's going on or why he can't have what he wants right now.  Once it's over, he's a teary eyed cuddlebug that falls asleep on my shoulder after whispering "I sorry Mommy" in my ear.

I'm a better person because of my son.  He pushes me and stretches me and challenges me every single day. I have to remember to be the adult and to keep my cool instead of losing my temper when he has a fit.  I've had to become selfless in a way I never thought possible because what I want doesn't matter but what he needs sure does.  I don't sleep through the night anymore.  There's a little warm body that crawls into my bed and curls up next to me with his blankie clenched in his fist as he falls asleep with my arms around him.

Raising a boy is the greatest joy I've ever had.  I see my husband become a better man as a father.  I watch 2.0 explore the world and I see everything differently because he's seeing it for the first time.  We get dirty and we play with cars and duplos and everything has superhero insignias or a Green Bay Packer logo on it.  2.0 knows who Captain America, Iron Man, Spiderman, Thor, Superman, and Batman are.  He also knows how to count to 10 and knows his letters from A to J.

I would love to have a daughter some day.  I'm thankful that I had a son first.

A Miracle On Happy Joe Drive

Most of us have no idea how much of an impact our actions have on someone else.  We just coast through our day and don't give another thought to the clothes we've donated or the money we gave or the simple smile we had on our face while thanking the cashier at the grocery store.  We just move from task to task, sometimes wondering if we'll ever do something more with our lives than pick up toys and change diapers.

This morning, I was at the Women's Choice Center.  I've already written about the center and what they do. I've already written about the needs they have and the impact having just one of those needs met in a small way has.  While I was volunteering today, I saw that impact first hand.

A woman came, distraught and on the verge of tears.  She asked if we had any size 5 diapers.  That is a size that doesn't last long at the Women's Choice Center because of the great need.  We had a single diaper in a size 5 and I brought it to her.  This woman had lost so much just this morning and to protect her privacy I'm going to keep those details to myself.  When we had to tell her that we didn't have anymore diapers in size 5 beyond the one in my hand, she broke down sobbing.  

Vicki, the executive director of the Women's Choice Center, is a licensed counselor and she comforted this woman, helping her go through what her options were and what her next steps had to be.  I felt so helpless as there was nothing I could offer to this woman to make everything better.  So I prayed.  I prayed that God would meet her needs and give her hope.  

Then the door opened and in walked a woman with a small child, a little boy who couldn't be more than 4 years old.  She carried a package of diapers and some swim diapers and brought them to me, looking at the woman who was sobbing with compassion in her eyes.  I got out a receipt for her donation and then I looked at the size of diapers she'd brought in so I could complete the inventory.  

They were a size 5.

I placed them on the counter for Vicki and she looked at them, then at me and asked what those were for.  I told her simply that they were a size 5 and for the woman who still sat wiping her tears.  She broke down again, this time in grateful sobs.

The woman who was donating the diapers didn't just leave with her receipt.  She stayed a moment, wrapping her arms around this crying woman and hugged her close, whispering prayers to her.  She took her son to the car and waited until this woman left, just to make sure she would be okay.  All of us in the center could've been knocked over with a feather.  God had arrived when He was desperately needed.

You never know what kind of an impact your actions have.  Those clothes you donated could be the answer to a homeless person's prayer.  Those diapers could give a mother peace and the ability to send her child to daycare so she can work to provide for them both.  That smile might just have convinced that cashier that  there really are nice people out there and change her complete outlook on the rest of her day.  

If you ever think you aren't doing important things, I ask you to read this post again and change your mind.