By Erika Weisensee, Oregon Mom
In early June, my husband and I traveled to China, where we met and brought home our newly adopted son. You may have read about that already on this website. We are now the proud parents of two boys, Owen, 4, and Henry Zhi Cheng, 2. I have a few friends with two boys, and several of them have welcomed me to the “two boys club”—the mom of two boys club that is. So, what is the “two boys club”? I’m still figuring this whole thing out. But, as the mom of two small boys for about two months, here are some things I’ve learned so far:
- Two boys together can make some really BIG messes.
- They love to be outside and thank goodness for some sustained sunshine. We spend as much time as possible in the backyard.
- Who cares about toys when you have dirt, grass, sticks, rocks and water to play with?
- You know those cheap plastic kiddy pools? It may be the best $10 I have ever spent. We’ve had the same one for three summers and both kids love it. When it’s too cold for wading or splashing, we make our own ball pit, filling it with one hundred small plastic balls that we bought for $12 at Toys R Us.
- Competition is innate. It is so interesting to watch the competition come out naturally in two little kids who are just getting to know each other. There are battles for mom and dad’s attention and the inevitable “I want what he has” struggles over toys, food, you name it.
- They play hard and they sleep hard, and boy, when they’re ready for bed, I am, too.
- Two boys are always hungry!
- The mom of two boys needs girl time, like movie nights out with my best girl friends and time to read my favorite magazine while sipping my favorite tea.
- Boys never run out of hugs for “mama.” And that makes all the rest of it so worth it.
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Erika Weisensee is a writing mom and a native Oregonian.
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