Yesterdays blog post about my new friends, caused me to think of some of the most encouraging friendships I have right now in my life.  

They are, simply put, The Mothers of Other Brothers... Specifically those women who have multiple, interesting, strong-willed, boyish-boys in their home.  Boys who push one another down for the sheer pleasure of it, only to have it end in a broken arm or black and blue forehead; boys who climb high into a tree and come up with the brilliant plan to pull down their pants and take a pee together; boys who look forward all day to a light saber battle with their dad, only to melt down when Dad comes home, because they all want to be Luke Skywalker; boys who go on hikes and think nothing about picking up arms full of old dear bones and freshly shedded snake skins.  

"Yuck, yikes, pull up your pants, and quiet down please!"  

That's what most people would holler.  But not The Mothers of Other Brothers!  While the decimal level may skyrocket when there are multiple families with multiple boys altogether in one place, encouragement comes in seeing other families lovingly parenting their way though similar testosterone-charged chaos.  

We even live on a cul de sac, right smack dab between other families with boys.  As the boys battled it in the street with a football the other day, another mother and I laughed as we saw similar challenges in one another's children.  "Same stuff, different house..." She said with a laugh.  Grace, I thought.

Without that laughter, I can feel isolated and like a failure compared to my friends with only one boy.  Boys who don't have another ball of boy energy to bounce off of and pummel, are different than boys who do.  Now I know I'm generalizing here, but it's been my general experience thus far.

While I've heard it said "the more the merrier," where boys are concerned it's not always the case for me.  For me.  Because I thrive in peace and quiet.  But I don't just want to learn to be content with what I have, i want to find joy in their chaotic, stinky, boyishness.  Without these Mothers of Other Brothers, I can lose track of the Merry experience of Mothering Brothers.  

Today I am very grateful to get to Mother Strong, Squirrelly and Stubborn. And I'm thankful for the Others Mothering Brothers all around me.

Sincerely!