I want him to be confident in who he is and in each choice he makes.
I want him to feel loved and feel comfortable telling others he loves them too.
I want him to be the one who sticks up for the kid that is being pushed around and bullied.
I want him to be a father who takes an active role in his child's life. To not be afraid of the dirty diapers and the late night feedings. To love them and not judge them for their choices and instill them with the values we taught him.
What I see in this ad is a sweet moment between a mother and her son. I see laughter and I see love.
Who nourishes those little boys to grow into men?
Who kisses their boo boos and teaches them confidence and give them courage to get back up?
Who tucks them in at night and later tries not to cry when he and his bride walk hand-in-hand down the aisle?
Who loves him unconditionally from the moment she sees watches that second line appear so faintly?
Who loves him to the moon and back?
It is us as moms who nourish our son's bodies, nurture their hearts and make them feel safe. They see us feed and cuddle siblings, put make-up on and even hear us say words we shouldn't. We live in a way we want our children to model and they do.
They want to do the same things we do- to be like us.
It is how they learn and how they play.
It is how each tiny being views our big world.
Brady is only 17 months old but knows that lotions gets rubbed on your body, a toothbrush is for your teeth, a ball is for throwing and that razor is what daddy uses on his face. I watch him pretend to do the same things.
If one day, he asks me to paint his nails, I will gladly open the bottle, attempt to paint those tiny wiggly toes and smile as it is the greatest compliment in the eyes of a mom.
I have done my job and I have done it well.
10 comments:
Although my opinion differs from yours on painting boys' toenails, this is a beautiful post about the mothers of sons! I have no intention of ever painting my son's nails, but if he chooses to do it himself, I will love him just the same.
I forgot to add...no matter what you think about his pink toenails, you can tell that boy and his mom are obviously completely in love with each other and for that she should be commended!
Amen!!!
Berkley tries on my necklaces, and occasionally tries to put on my bras (ha!). But he also loves Daddy's ties around his neck and his shoes on his little feet.
I'm HAPPY to paint his toes if he asks one day! :)
I have been seeing FB comments about painting boys' toenails and was very perplexed. Now I get it. I see no issue with a boy painting his nails because mommy does it. Isn't that how kids learn? At that boy's age, he has no concept of gender. If you read educational studies, you learn that it will be years before kids can differentiate between him/her or he/she. What's the big deal? Are people offended because he likes pink? Oh the horror! I will never understand why it is so appalling for little boys (who at that age are oh so similar to little girls) to do the things that other little kids do.
Well-said. Your blog popped up on my Google Reader awhile back, but I am not one to usually comment. It pains me that we live in such a homophobic society. We have a 7 month old son and will love him regardless of who he turns out to be. How could you not?
applause, amy. beautifully written post. i couldn't agree more.
I had not seen this add till now...but I completely AGREE with you. I just posted a picture of Tucker trying on my "pretties". Nobody was hurt, scared or tortured while he was trying on my jewelry and like you said..the learn from watching.
Its a lovely add..boys will boys in the long run..let them explore NOW
Beautifully written. Thank you so much for sharing this! Will has rocked some pretty pink nails before (fingers and toes!) and I, of course, see nothing wrong with it :)
Agreed! I think it's beautiful. I am the mother of a baby boy and I will do this as well. Why are people so scared of a little pink nail polish. We live in an uptight world...
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