Raising a Boy Child

Well, I am actually not there yet but being my son turns 17 this year and begins his last year of High School, I feel he's getting close to being raised.

Many mothers over the years have asked me what it's like raising a boy child. It's easy for a woman to figure out how to raise a girl. Go off and do what we normally do. Shop together, teach them how to put on makeup together, play dolls with them, cook with them, etc.

Well, let me state that none of the "girlie" things in life have attracted me much in my adult years and though I am sure I would have been just fine raising one, having my boy has definitely been a major plus in my life.
From his earliest days in existence, I could tell he was a boy. When the Ultrasound confirmed this, it was like duh...I know that. In utro he was always kicking...always. Right to the day he was born and he has never stopped.

My husband and I started a tradition of attending air shows many years ago and I remember taking him from his earliest days. Putting ear plugs in his ears, to keep the sound of the F15's kicking in their afterburners from ruining his infant hearing. He learned to love those planes and I take full responsibility for exposing him to them. He loves trains too and as I have mentioned before, he and I would ride the rails quite often.

I remember one time waiting for our train out of Union Station and this Amtrak pulls in and there is the engineer who had let him push the trains horn at the control, a year or so earlier. The two of us ran over yelling the man's name. My kid was so excited! The engineer was driving an Amtrak! So much more exotic then a Metrolink.

During his young years we spent much time in museums. Many times in our own California Science Center. One of the cool things about that time was I had a membership at the Science Center and for several years our card got us discounts to all the others. We visited The Air and Space Museum in Washington, OMSI in Portland Oregon (very cool sub on display there), Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland Ohio, The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago (Probably the best one built, with a coal mine and German WWII sub on display).

He loved them all.

The scientist in him, the thirst for knowledge as to the why things do what they do, were all nurtured by these trips. On the home front, he loved a children's show called Bill Nye the Science Guy from his youngest days and as an older child, he is still addicted to a series called Nova. Learning about our world is so what he embraces.

Well, the final result of all this is that he became a Cadet in the Air Force JROTC program 3 years ago. I was not comfortable with it, especially since we as a Country, had just signed on for the current conflict. I figured though that if this interested him enough to make him join, then I would give him enough rope and let him see where it led him.

The first year was very hard for us, because we had no idea what was going on and what was expected of him but by year two, I joined their Booster Club and started participating in their lives and activities. My husband and I are so glad we did this, because it has given us so many memories of interacting with this group of kids. It has been nothing but a positive influence in his life and we thank them for it.

Tomorrow we travel north to pick him up from his leadership encampment. It is such an interesting time and this is the 2nd year that my brother in law and his girlfriend will be attending with us. We hope it went well and he comes back enriched.

Who knows what the future will bring but so far this ride on the back of a boy child's life has been nothing but a blast!

I will miss him so much when he is gone, reaching for whatever future he decides on.

Thanks for the memories, son. I love you.