With five boys, I can’t tell you how many times a day I hear this.  Ok, I can give you a rough estimate - maybe 15?  Anyways, I am always surprised when I hear other women I talk to and know say their kids are “embarrassed” by them, they don’t tell them they love them anymore (the kids don’t tell their parents, not the other way around), etc…. and I admit, that semi-cruel part of me wants to say:

“Ha, Ha, Ha… my kids tell me they love me all the time! They even kiss me goodbye in the morning!”

Petty I know.

I don’t know why, but no matter the reason, let me just say I am glad that the boys still say, “Love you, Mom.” to me on a daily basis.  I am glad that they aren’t afraid to kiss me goodbye, friends watching or not.

Monday through Friday I get up with the boys and make sure everyone puts on clean clothes, eats something for breakfast, and then makes it to the bus.  And every morning, I get a kiss on the cheek from Corey and Addi, Joe is more reserved, but I always gets a “Bye mom!  Love you!”  That makes it worth it.  I might be exhausted, the kids might have gotten on my nerves that morning, but those kisses and those “I love you” farewells make me forget the restless nights, and the silly things the kids do that drive me crazy.

At swim meets Corey will come up to me, put his arm around me and ask for advice.  Joe will yell that he loves me as he runs on the baseball field.  Addi will put his arms around me at Target, and then, of course, there is Hayden and Dean who are still my little monkeys and show affection often and without thought to where we are or who might be watching.

At Busch Gardens this past October, the older boys took my arms and told me that they would protect me from the “chainsaw-wielding maniacs” that were scattered around the park.  In one of the haunted houses, Addi threw his arms around my waist and screamed and laughed at the crazy antics of the “monsters.”

Are my boys mama’s boys? Hardly, at least not in my book.  I think they simply know that they can count on me.  They know that I adore them, that I respect their feelings, and they love me all the more for that, and because of that they don’t see showing their love for me (no matter who is watching) as something to be embarrassed about. My boys know I have their back, though Roy and I have made it clear to them that that doesn’t mean we think they are perfect.  They make mistakes, and sometimes there will be consequences, but we won’t abandon them.  We won’t turn our backs on them.

It’s my job, as a mother, to teach the boys that growing up means added responsibility.  It means not hiding behind my apron, but it doesn’t mean Mom won’t be here if you need a hand… Or a hug.