Little Man's Mama

I wasn't surprised when I received my referral for Little Man. The agency had made it clear that, being a single female, I would in all likelihood receive a referral for a toddler boy. Little Man was nearly three when we flew home from Ethiopia. Although there was a definite transition period, being a mom to my little boy seemed to fit like a glove.

Growing up, I was a bit of a tomboy. I loved hanging out in the garage with my dad while he worked on different pieces of heavy machinery. I clearly remember sitting on a large Skidder tire eating bean with bacon soup and tuna sandwiches with my dad, thinking 'This is the best!" Climbing trees, playing in mud, riding bike through puddles, playing tag at night...I loved them all.

All of these experiences made me very comfortable with the idea of raising Little Man on my own. I figured if any single mom was ready to raise a boy, I was.

Once the initial transition period was over, I started on my mental list of  'things that most little boys would like to know how to do, and their dad's would normally teach them.' I didn't want Little Man growing up not having the opportunity to do all those boy things. I know, I know not all boys like the same things, and some people would argue that there are no such things as 'boy things'.

Those people apparently haven't met Little Man.

He came wired and preset to 'manly'. An "I take care of that for you" kind of guy. A statement he made when he was three and just learning English  really says it all.  "Mama, if you get cow...I will cut it for you. It takes many mans to cut cow." Yes, you read correctly. Although a bit shocking by our standards, Little Man had witnessed a cow being butchered and wanted to help provide meat for his new mama.

I have made it my job these past five years to support, foster, and champion those activities that Little Man enjoys. Some of the activities I enjoyed to start with, and some I have (ahem) had to acquire a taste for.

Catching frogs and salamanders. Check.
Climbing trees. Check.
Riding bike through mud puddles. Check.
Cooking over an open fire. Check.
Soccer. Check.
Reading nonfiction. Check.
Holding snakes. O.K., if I have to, check.
Random science experiments. Check.
Fishing. Check.
Belching. Ahem, check.

I've loved being Little Man's mom even more than I expected I would. God knew we would be a good fit. Now that Baby B, our little princess, has joined our family it will be fun to see how the two personalities will balance each other. 

I wonder how Little Man feels about tea parties? 


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