A Real Boy

My mom told me that she wasn't so sure about the whole nurture vs. nature idea when it comes to socializing boys and girls, until she had four boys and then one girl. I carried baby dolls around like they were real babies, while my older brothers had always dragged them behind. She knew then that there were many aspects of boys and girls that just come naturally.

Winston is a true boy. When he was a few weeks old, I took my nieces hair bows and tried them on him to see what he would look like if he were a little girl. I've heard lots of people say that babies look "neutral" and I wanted to see for myself. Well, he looked...like...a little boy with a hair bow. So anti-climatic.

Without learning from an older sibling (maybe some influence from neighbors and cousins), he runs around the house making little boy sounds, like the "vroom" of little cars or "geh-gahs" of hitting things against something. Sometimes he'll do something that makes me smile and say, "you are a real, true boy."

We went camping one night last week, and he once again showed he was a true boy. In just about 10 minutes, he was filthy.

In another 2 minutes, he had a black tongue and mouth from eating nice, earthy dirt. 

In another 30 seconds, he grabbed a handful of dirt and rubbed it, intentionally, on his forehead, eye, and cheek, looking almost black.

And this photo was AFTER I wiped off some dirt.

My sister-in-law bought a cute little framed saying from some craft fair a few years ago. I finally ordered it in vinyl and added the finishing touch to Winston's name.

Pinocchio in the quote above should actually be italicized, because it is not Pinocchio who says it, but it is from the Disney' movie Pinocchio stated by the Blue Fairy. It is actually: "You must prove yourself brave, truthful and unselfish to become a real boy." But, eh, Winston's wall is not a thesis, and it is legal to paraphrase, right? I never said it was a direct quote, anyway...

Anyway, I really like the quote paraphrase, because it gives the little dude something to live up to--something that he can see every day. He is already so much of a true boy. I can't wait until he has more life experiences that teach him to be brave, truthful and unselfish. These are things to focus on our whole life long, and I know he has already taught me to be more brave, truthful and unselfish just by being who he is.