Boys II Men

My first baby went off to Kindergarten last week. And like many moms, I cried about it and reminisced about my journey as a mother.

From the beginning, Nate was a surprise to me in so many ways. For one thing, he wasn't planned. For another, I was convinced he was a girl. What would I do with a son?

In the beginning I somehow was foolish enough to believe that my son would like whatever I exposed him too. I always thought that boys liking cars and trucks was somehow due to parents buying boys, well, cars and trucks. But I can clearly recall the first time he noticed a fire truck, how his body shook with excitement. "Caaa!" and "Truuuuh!" were two of his earliest words.

Clearly my Sunday morning Coronation Street marathons were having no effect. My boy was a boy biologically and no amount of nursing him in the restroom at Holt's was going to change his character. (Though it may have given him the amazing fashion sense he has today. He picked out this outfit entirely by himself!*)

I never thought I'd have a PHD in Thomas and Friends trains (my daughter surprisingly has an attraction to Thomas too). I never thought I'd have my own favourite Hot Wheels® (I'm partial to the vintage muscle cars). I certainly never imagined myself careening down the highway to catch up to a red Ferrari. But being the mother of a son has made me appreciate a lot of things that I would not ordinarily have taken a second look at.