Regarding Boys: Dirt and White Shirts

Recently I had the chance to meet a blogging friend of mine in person, Kara from The Joys of Boys. You can imagine why we connected, eh? :) During that time, she mentioned that she started her blog because every time she told people she had all boys, there followed a negative connotation.

The point struck me- because it's so true! When I tell people I have four boys, it's pretty well always a defensive or cool comment in response.

Why is that? It must be the dirty, noisy and smelly labels that seem to be attached to the male species by nature? Maybe the masculinity of boys? Thank heaven for it, don't get me wrong... but it does mean more roughness, thoughtlessness, crassness...

At least, I guess it does....

See, today I had the chance to hear a really beautiful piano solo from a young man in our Stake. I just closed my eyes and tried to absorb it... Does music feed your soul the way it does mine? I daresay there is nothing that touches me more, motivates me better. I wondered briefly in that moment why I don't have more of it in my life... music, that is. The good kind that lifts me like that piano solo did.

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Anyhow... it was a young man playing that piano. And he was in a white shirt and tie and suit. And I pointed out to Cooper that it was a guy making that music. He leaned into me a bit :)

Tonight I happened upon this video... don't worry, you don't have to watch it all, just a bit and you'll probably know what I'm about to say next...

... that there need be no negative assumption when I say I have all boys. Do you watch any part of this and think "Oh, wow, ALL boys," with any sort of hesitancy or negativity? Didn't think so.

Boys are wild and crazy, dirty and smelly, loud and obnoxious. They wrestle a lot. They don't sit still or stay quiet very well. They don't usually understand when enough is enough. Their excitement and joy are manifest in way that can be overbearing and frustrating. 

But they are strong and good, desirous and hopeful, energetic and willing. Their roughness doesn't mean that they mean to be mean. They mean to be happy and funny and someone you can approve of.

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The young men in this video, at that piano, and my own sitting around me, are worthy of my pride. My heart just wants to burst at how awesome our young men are. I want to be a good enough Mom that it's my own son I'm listening to or watching and soaking in (whatever it may be they choose to be doing). :) 

As a parting shot, this video includes the song in the piano solo I heard yesterday... and showcases even more awesome young men in white shirts ;) Enjoy!

Boy Mom Soapbox: Important vs. Most Important

Recently our family went out to eat at a favorite local pizza/ pasta place. It's really popular around here, and pretty well every time we go we see groups of local high school kids there. This particular night, not long after we had started eating, in came what appeared to be an entire baseball team. All good looking young men, all apparently quite comfortable with each other.

I couldn't really help myself- it was, in fact, unavoidable- I started watching them; observing the details of their little party. I watched them watching the basketball game on the TV mounted in the corner, calling out what the players should be doing. I watched them on their phones, texting or posting or some such thing. I watched them carry in stacks of pizza slices and comment on each other's loaded plates. I watched them adjust their pants and their hats and their hair.

Blessedly, I wasn't offended by bad language or grossed out by pants that desperately needed to be pulled up. There was more to admire about these baseball buddies than not. But this vibe was also clear:

They thought they were pretty important.