<p>I&#39;m the mother of two little baby boys.&#0160; </p>

<p>Boys!&#0160; &#0160;Two of them!</p>

<p>Adorable, cute little babies that will someday grow up to be hyperactive, muddy, rambunctious boys.</p>

<p>It&#39;s no secret that it <a href="http://www.reluctanthousewife.com/2006/12/boys.html">scares me sometimes</a>.</p>

<p>Because boys?&#0160; They are a mystery.&#0160; Even after 30 years.</p>

<p>My oldest is only two and he&#39;s already a miniature daredevil, something I most certainly am not.&#0160; At the playground he wants to slide down the BIG! slide, and he runs FAST!, and he hides from me and he wants to hang from the monkey bars like a TALL MAN!&#0160; (I don&#39;t know why he says tall men hang from the monkey bars, but it&#39;s cute, no?)</p>

<p>All this, while all I want to do at the playground is sit under the big tree, drink some lemonade and read my Vanity Fair in peace.&#0160; </p>

<p>But I don&#39;t do it, because it would be <em>dangerous</em>.&#0160; As a parent I have to be hyper alert at all times, especially when we are out at the playground.&#0160; I have to be vigilant about my son not falling off the playground equipment, make sure he does&#39;t get hurt by another kid, keep an eye on the adults around me.&#0160; </p>

<p>Because there is <em>danger</em> everywhere!</p>

<p>I know my son loves it, the danger.&#0160; But it drives me crazy.</p>

<p>I try very hard to not let on about my fears, because I don&#39;t want him to grow up anxious and scared.&#0160; I want him to experience life the way he does now, the way he should - like a child, free and wild and fearless.</p>

<p>Danger is real.&#0160; I&#39;m not planning on raising a fool.&#0160; There will be a time to fear danger and be vigilant and responsible and careful.</p>

<p>I just don&#39;t think that time is now.</p>

<p>*****************<br /><em>This post is inspired by the current discussion over at <a href="http://www.mother-talk.com/wp/?p=70">MotherTalk</a>.&#0160; </em></p>

<p><em>I think it&#39;s fabulous that two men chose to write a book for boys. There all all these people that are up in arms because this book is &quot;for boys&quot; - I think the argument goes along the lines of &#39;men have all the power and are held in high-esteem while girls are stuck with Disney Princess crap.&#39;<br /></em></p>

<p><em>Blah, blah, blah.&#0160; <br /></em></p>

<p><em>So if men are held in high esteem does that mean that boys
should be ignored while we all go on and on about girl power?
Because, really! Who is buying all the Disney Princess garbage? Men?</em></p>

<p><em>We should let boys unabashedly enjoy being boys.&#0160; And girls should continue to fiercely enjoy being girls.<br /></em></p>
