Yep.  I’m the mother of 3 boys, married to one, and even the cat is a male.  A lot of women dream for a little girl with the hopes of sharing and bonding over things only females can unite over.  Not me.  I always wanted boys.  I always felt more comfortable around the male species growing up.  Even now I still have just a many close male friends as female.  As much as I love my boys there are days I want to scream (and actually have), “I’m a girl damn it!”  I know some of you parentsI  struggle with a male dominated house, but I can give you some tips to make it easier.

I am the only girl in this house.  We’re not even sure if the turtle is a male or female.  But most standards I’m not into typical girls stuff.  I’ve always like to play sports, watch action movies and play video games.  When I was a kid that set me apart.  Now, it makes my life a little bit more manageable, but I know for some mom’s stuck in a male dominated house it can be quite the struggle.  Never fear I have some tips to battle the sexes.

Tips To Tolerate The Boys

• Set your boundaries.  With all that testosterone you need to have your space and they need to respect that.  Sometimes you may have to remind them that you need 30 minutes to take care of you.  Or else.
• You are “The” Female role model.  Take this as an opportunity to teach your boys what kind of woman you’d like them to be with.  Lead by example and teach them respect.  It’s your chance to bring better men into this world.
• Understand them.  Growing up the idea of boys and girls was a black and white world that didn’t make sense to me.  Take the time to understand what they like and why it’s important to them.  Even if it still seems dumb, remember to respect them too.
• Cleanliness.  Just because they are boys doesn’t mean they have a pass to be disgusting or not clean up after themselves.  Give them daily household chores so that they understand what it’s like to clean a toilet or wash dirty boy underwear. And teach them to cook!
• Flatulence.  I’m pretty laid back about belching and other gross things these boys think are funny, but farting is where I draw the line.  If it sounds like you’ve pooped your pants or if it smells like it, they will rue the day they did it in my presence.

In The End…..

I joke a lot about my life with my boys, but mostly I just treat my kids like people.  Not boys, not kids. Just human beings.  They all have their own personalities and their own likes.  Knowing who they are as people can make understanding the rest of their behavior a lot easier, or at least more tolerable.

The best advice I can give you is to loosen up.  Don’t take everything so serious and don’t try to fight every battle, because you will lose.  Be firm about the things that are important and just be a strong, loving woman in their lives. They need it and need you.  Mostly, laugh.  Laugh and enjoy them while they are here.  One day you’re going to miss all the noise and gross behavior.