Dangerous Boys

Have mercy! Keeping Nate from serious injury is taking most of my time and energy these days. My friend Kim Bowen just started blogging and mentioned that she ordered The Dangerous Book for Boys recently. It's a manual of sorts for all the old-fashioned rough and tough boy activities that are starting to fade from our culture lately. Cody would suggest that I am part of the problem since I tend to over-react and worry when Nate does typical boy things. Sometimes, I just have to leave the room when Cody is hoisting Nate into precarious positions. I'm convinced he is about to wipe out and get a concussion or break an arm. After a few minutes, my head is light from gasping too much and my entire body aches from cringing. I also have a hard time refraining from saying, "I knew this would happen!" when the occasional mishap does occur. But deep down, I really do want Nate to be a rough and tumble kind of guy. I don't want to coddle him or make him afraid to try new, slightly dangerous activities. I do, however, want him to refrain from climbing to the very top of the couch and jumping. That stinker did just that today and hit his head on the fireplace on the way down before landing sprawled out on the floor. My wish for Nate is that he finds the balance between normal risky boy behavior and "stunts likely to maim, dismember, or destroy." My wish for myself is to embrace the spirit of adventure that seems to be born into the hearts of boys. Lucas, my sweet baby that just learned to crawl a week and a half ago, has already set his sights on the stairs. He pulls up and stands by the first step, and I can see the determination in his eyes as he tries and tries to pull his hefty little leg up onto the step so he can go farther. Why they can't just sit quietly and look at picture books, I don't know. They prefer to push the physical limits. While there are exceptions, almost every mother that has both genders of children can point out marked differences in their approach to risk and physical activity. I think I am finally beginning to understand that my role is not to mold my boys into more pacifistic behavior but to teach them wisdom in using their natural gifts.