Raising a Man

Linking up with Mama G and Kristin

for the Toddle Along Tuesday blog hop today!

So, I've been thinking a lot lately about the kind of person Colin might grow up to be one day. Justin and I talk about this subject quite a bit. Right now, it's so hard to see past the spit-up and poopy diapers and think about the fact that we're in the process of raising a man. It blows my mind that one day, this sweet little booger will grow up and be a man. This is definitely something we don't take lightly. We playfully talk about characteristics we want him to have: he'll be kind and generous, but good with money. He'll have a great job and marry a woman we can be proud to call our daughter-in-law. He will be an awesome dad to his own kids one day. He'll be responsible, courteous and he will love God with all his heart.

But, here's the scary part... there's only so much we can do. Yes, we can interact with him and teach him the things we think are important and surround him with educational toys. However, once he's grown, he'll have to be responsible for himself. All the great parenting in the world can't guarantee that your child will be the type of person you want him to be. To me, that's a scary thought. At 7 months, Colin is already showing some personality. He makes "angry" noises now when he's frustrated about something, and he also loves to pull hair - HARD - and to pinch his poor mommy until she has bruises. Ha! He's still a baby and I know he isn't trying to spite us, but we're already getting a glimpse of the road ahead. Before we know it, we're going to have to start utilizing the "D" word: discipline. Yikes! While I'm not looking forward to that part, it's a necessary evil that comes with being a parent. Sure, we could let him run wild like a crazy wildebeast, but we're thinking long term here. We knew what we were getting into when we saw those two lines on the pregnancy test, and even more so when we saw a tiny penis on an ultrasound screen. Raising a boy isn't going to be easy, but I am loving it already, and I can't wait to see the kind of man Colin will become.

We still have a little while to go before we're there yet, though, so for now I'm just going to enjoy my squishy baby boy. One day he will be a grown man, and probably won't want to snuggle with his momma anymore, so I'm going to take full advantage while I still can.

PS - Don't forget about this week's giveaway! You can find more info about it HERE!