It’s used in condescension. The name for sissies and weaklings who haven’t outgrown their mother’s skirts. It resents the boy that clings longer, harder, tighter than he should.
It is a label, sticky and hard to peel off.
But sometimes the boy is bigger than the label. Sometimes his love is of super glue proportions. Sometimes he plasters himself with billboard-size lettering and proclaims it proud to a world he couldn’t care less about and knows very little of.
So much so that only the mama really gets how bold the declaration is. How wild the love.
So she cups it in her heart and still it spills over the edges of her eyelids as he crawls out of bed and into her shadow while she types the dark hours away. And at her feet he is all the peace and contentment she could wish for herself.
She watches and watches and she knows the truth – boy’s mama – her five-year-label now.
Her new name.
A perfect fit.
Linked to Emily’s Chatting at the Sky.
Oh, my heart. This post is so touching. Beautiful. Splits my heart right wide open and I’m all teary-like. I love being a boy’s mama, too.
What a beautiful way to start my day…..
….as a mama of three boys (and one little girl)……this makes my heart swell.
Oh, beautiful. It is a precious thing, to lose our “name” to become “_______’s Momma” isn’t it?!
Love it! Only been a “boy’s mama” for 2 years now…but already can’t imagine life without it. :)
Beautiful. One of my boy’s is very very attached to me and has been called “mama’s boy” in a “joking” way that made me so angry. He continues to love me with the wild abandon that you describe and I find myself marveling at God’s love shown to me through him.
love the relationship you have with your boys :)
Lisa, I agree with you completely. Nothing has brought such joy to my life as the divine privilege of being my boys’ mama. It’s so good to spend a little time poking around your blog and catching up (sort of fallen off the twitterverse for a while). I love reading about your trip, and am feeling very much convicted about writing to our three Compassion sponsored children in Ethiopia. Would love to catch up over a meal or playdate some time!
Precious depiction of the journey! Just lovely!
My little mama’s boy is 23 years old and planning a wedding. They grow way too fast.
so, so sweet. :)
“So she cups it in her heart and still it spills over the edges of her eyelids”
That is EXACTLY how it feels. From one Boy’s Mama to another.
You are so lucky! Bask in that fierce, little-boy love. My little girl loves me (this I know), but she’s a Daddy’s girl through and through, and it’s he who lights her face. (I’m hoping that no. 2 will be a mama’s girl but not holding my breath.)
Sweetness. I love being a boy’s mama!
I love how you love those boys sweet girl. My littlest boy (with little girls of his own now) is going through a difficult time just now, and that love never changes. I wish I could scoop him up and make it all better. I also love how you treasure these moments.
P.S. Thank you for that link. Our precious little girl (through World Vision) lives in the Umzimvubu area in South Africa. She is five years old – a serious little soul who says she wants to be a social worker when she grows up.
Oh how I get this.
Love you, friend, good Mama.
Boy climb right into mama hearts with their big fireboots and start clomping around in there and re-arranging *everything* don’t they?
:)
What a beautiful post. I count is a blessing to a boy’s mama. I treasure it. I cling to it.
This is so absolutely sweet!!!
Whew, that just about had me in tears today! Perhaps because I’m a boy’s mama and I’m pregnant! But thank you. What a wonderful thing to be thankful for.