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Being a mom of 3 boys can be a lot of work, but there are significant perks to this mom-job!
If I had a dollar for every time someone said one of the following things to me when I’m out with my 3 boys, I’d be living on a private island right now:
- Are you trying for a girl?
- You must be busy.
- *look of extreme sympathy*
Frankly, I LOVE being a mom of 3 boys. They are each about 2 1/2 years apart.
The eldest has a surprising wit that alternately leaves me rolling on the floor and rolling my eyes, but also has a big, sensitive heart.
My middle guy is the best helper I’ve ever met, and even in early elementary is a real ladies man.
The littlest boy is the chattiest little man I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet, and his observations about the world consistently astonish me.
My family is just like your family in so many ways. But there are some things ONLY boy moms know.
Ready to find out what they are?
DISCLAIMER: This post isn’t intended to say that boys are better than girls or any of that nonsense, but simply that having 3 boys isn’t something to pity! If you enjoyed it, please pass it on!
1) Boys appreciate my poop jokes
I love a good poop joke. No, not excessive ones at the kitchen table, but a witty poop joke can crack me up anytime. Try this one on for size:
Knock knock
Who’s there?
Yoop
Yoop who?
No, I didn’t poo. Did you?
I truly appreciate having an easily-pleased audience when I come up with that type of gem. 3 boys are just the audience I need.
2) Having 3 boys means fewer clothes
Sometimes I have a choked-up-teary-eyed moment where my youngest is wearing a shirt that I remember both his brothers wearing. I could have those moments every day if I had a better memory because almost every single article of clothing my youngest wears has been worn by both his older brothers. And since I have friends who give me their hand-me-downs, I’m quite sure I spent less than $500 in clothes in the past 12 years. Thank you boys for letting me spend my money on other things (like noise-canceling headphones).
I’ve heard this low-maintenance clothing trend tends to continue on in life, so I think we’ve got it made in the clothing department. We also won’t have to go into debt to afford makeup, jewelry, accessories, and handbags. Just fancy underwear (if my friend’s teens are any indication)…but I can deal with that. And on that note we come to #3…
3) I don’t have to share (mostly)
Except for the occasional time when the boys have wanted nail polish or to wear my necklaces, I doubt they’re going to want to share my sweaters and lipstick. Which works just fine for me, thank you very much.
4) Fewer toys in the house
Yes, I know, boys and girls can play with the same toys. But it seems that Toys R Us hasn’t figured that out yet. Until they do, I’m very happy to easily categorize all birthday/Christmas gifts into one of five bins: vehicles, tools, marbles, Lego, and sticks.
5) Wrestling (and not wrestling)
I like wrestling with my boys on the trampoline. But when they get too rough, all I have to say is “be gentle with mommy!” and the wrestling is all done. It’s a great card to play, let me tell you.
6) I get to be their first love
This is true of all mommy-son relationships, but I think it’s especially sweet when there is no sister in the mix. I’m also the queen bee. There’s currently no other woman bossing my boys around, at least, not when they’re at home. ?
7) Easier hair
Last year, my youngest got lice. I know, right? SO GROSS. But you know what we did? Each boy took a turn in the backyard with the buzzer and we shaved it all off. Compare that to my friend with 2 girls who recently spent 14 hours total (no exaggeration) combing nits out of their hair. My solution: 10 minutes.
Also, I think I combed their hair about 5 times before they each turned 5. Only at Christmas, really. It certainly makes mornings easier. ?
My eldest currently has long-ish hair, but in mid-elementary, he’s old enough to brush it himself and young enough not to care about bedhead.
8) Sticks
Seriously, it doesn’t take much to entertain this crew. Throw a bunch of sticks in the backyard and I’ve got myself a free afternoon. (at least, until someone draws blood…)
9) The chance to raise the kind of men I want to see in the world
When you look around the world, you can easily see how much damage a few bad men can do in the world. (Apparently, testosterone can have a negative effect on peacemaking.)
We have the chance to raise the kind of men who will build up the world instead of tearing it down. Men who will live with integrity and treat others with respect and kindness, men who love their families, and men who speak up for those who are less fortunate.
I am honored to be given that duty in triplicate, and I can only pray that I will live up to the challenge.
Raising 3 (or more!) boys has challenges as well, so here’s a bonus list of the things I think you’ll need! If you’re about to embark on the journey of 3 (or more) boys, I hope you find this helpful.
3 things you’ll need to be a great mom of 3 boys:
1) Grace for yourself
Sometimes, in a vulnerable moment, I’ll share this secret with a friend: I was a better mom when I had 2 boys. I could keep the house clean, bake bread, run the children’s ministries at my church, and exercise regularly. I was gentler, I read more to them, and felt like I had it generally together. Then came the third son, and it busted all my boxes of what my life should look like.
With more kids making a mess and less time to clean them, I had to learn to let things go.
I’m sure this is the same with either boys or girls, but if you’ll permit a brief stereotype…boys are messy and loud and are constantly injuring themselves and breaking things and putting holes in my walls. I had to learn to let more of those things go.
2) Patience
Many years ago, I recognized that I was a super impatient person, so I asked God for more patience. The joke’s on me because His way of giving patience isn’t what I thought. I expected Him to fill me with unending patience. Instead, He gave me 3 sons to raise. ? Turns out, how God gives patience is by putting us into situations that develop our patience.
Boys push, throw, climb, yell, and make messes. If I had a nickel for every time I said “our house is not a jungle gym”, I’d be on a Hawaiian vacation right now.
Siblings fight. A lot. One of my boys knows which buttons to push on the other two, and he pushes them All The Time. You are going to need patience of the strongest variety!
3) Grit
I’m not gonna lie. You’re going to need grit to be a mom of 3 boys. You’ll need the perseverance to get to know your boys. You can’t become offended when they won’t share their problems – you will need to find ways to climb over those walls and get into their hearts.
Above all, your best teammate in this journey of raising 3 boys is God. He is the one who can fill you with strength on the hardest, messiest, noisiest days.
How about you? What do you love most about the kids that you have?
Whether you have 1 or 10, biological or adopted or fostered or grandparented, they’re all special.
Ha! I have 4 boys and I too received MANY varying comments most of which were not positive. I often replied with the “I have all boy toys and all boy clothes, why would I want to start with the girl stuff?” But my favorite reply was “In Biblical days I would have been considered a very blessed woman”! The look of utter surprise was priceless!
haha, true! Many arrows in your quiver 🙂
Boys are awesome. I like all your reasons. They are real. Sticks… yup.. I will never forget all the sticks.
Great reasons and all ones I can relate to, even if I have only one boy. And yes, it is nice to be their first love.
Christie the poop joke made me laugh out loud…. my son and his wife have four boys( and Princess Abigail).
I will pass this on to them ?
My poop jokes are nothing to be trifled with! 😉
Jody i have 3 boys, and then princess abigael ??
This is great, Christie! Two out of my 3 are boys, and I remember being slightly petrified when I discovered I was having a son. I’m one of 4 girls, my first is a girl, and—what was I supposed to do with a BOY? Needless to say, it wasn’t scary at all, and I’ve loved raising two young men. They are such fun, pretty low maintenance, and WAY easier as teens… ? Thanks for sharing your boy joy! Stopping by from Hope Writers!
I absolutely love being a mom to my three boys…really young men, ages 12, 15, 17. I love being part of their world: camping, hiking, fishing, football. Funny, they don’t mind being part of my world. We cook together, bake together, etc. I feel as if the Lord equipped me to be their mom and to love their world.
As a mom of five boys, I would agree with all of those reasons! (Not sure where I stand on poop jokes, though. I’m apparently not as adept at those as some of you moms. Lol)
My guys are all grown up now. And I realize even more the amazing task and honor it was to be entrusted with these little boys that became men of God.
I’m so glad to hear there’s amazing stuff on the other side of this motherhood journey!! Thanks for stopping in with encouragement 🙂
We have one adopted son. He is our joy and our heart. How come one minute when he doesn’t get what he wants he says he wants to kill me and tries to bite me and wants to do away with me and then when I talk it through with him explaining that we don’t talk that way he is lagging about something silly and wants me to see what he just built with his vast car collection? Yrs, he is six. Will this seemingly violence mongering continue? How do I instill in him self control even at 6!
Hi Marie! Thanks for stopping by! I think it’s partially a matter of consistency – as you continue to react the same way and remind him of the same things, he will hopefully eventually learn. Occasionally there is a case of a child that needs to see a doctor because there is something more going on as well. Praying for patience and wisdom for you!
Love this. I am a mom of 5 boys and yes with sticks! It’s a great toys. Sticks with rocks and I have whole hour to myself!
oh yes, rocks!! A shore full of pebbles and a pond to throw them in…
Thank you for saying what i’ve found to be true, love my 3 boys in amongst the challenges! I too love a good poo/fart joke, i remember buying a funny fart story book for my boys which i could never read to them without cracking up myself!
These are great reasons and as a mum of two boys I can totally relate to all of them. Love the odd poop joke but they usually don’t stop at one! ??
Yes to ALL OF THIS! Mom of 4 boys here – which inspired me to write this: https://www.lightlyfrayed.com/dreaded-question-trying-for-girl/ Love my man cubs that are rapidly becoming less cub and more man – eek!
Haha, great post! And yes, I am familiar with that question as well!!
This helped me so much, thank you! Mum of 2 boys expecting a third boy soon
You’re so welcome! Having boys is a challenge but also a joy. May your third arrive healthy and safe.
I have now 3 beautiful boys and I can relate about the clothes, low hair maintenance, being the queen bee. I too hope to live up to the task of raising 3 boys to become men who are role models in society.
Thank you for sharing Christie
Congratulations on your newest boy! 🙂
Fantastic! And so true! Love the info re: lice. We had three boys & then adopted a girl. One of the precious gifts she brought home with her was lice! I’m sure I spent at least those 14 hours & then some combing through her hair with that tiny comb every day for 6 weeks.
OH wow! I’m sure you made some precious memories during that time though 🙂
Wow I love this.mom of three boys 2 years apart.Lord walk with me.sometimes I find myself losing it..I came here because I feel like the worst mom.
Hi Angela! Sorry I missed your comment before! I pray that God would show you his love, and how he has specifically created you to be the perfect mom for your three boys.
Love this post! I have 2 boys and we just found out we are having a third boy. I must say I was a bit disappointed when I found out – so I’m looking for all the positives! I’m going to have to brush up on my poop jokes!
Congrats on your third boy! You might actually find this article helpful as well, as I totally understand that initial gender disappointment too. https://littleshootsdeeproots.com/mommy-blog/disappointed-by-god/
We have a 5 yo boy, and yesterday we found out that the 2 twins that we are expecting are also boys. I should say that even I kind of wanted to know what is to rise a girl, I am feeling really offended when I am telling people and and they feel sad for us for not getting a girl. Even my GYN made a sound of disapprove when she saw both are boys with the scan, for later finding out that she has 3 girls! Excuse me? she is missing the marvellous love of the boys. My 5 yo is the sweetest guy I could imagine. I think having 3 boys will be much easier, considering that 2 of them come at the same time… hey! just boy underpants/ t-shirts and pants! all check! I think I will be ok. I hope I can create good human beings. World is so crazy, that I know it will be a really hard job.
I’m pregnant and recently found out I’m having a third boy. I love my boys but always dreamed of having a girl. It’s been very emotional for me and difficult to accept that I will not have the girl I wanted. Your post made me look at the positives of being a boys mom and remind me how lucky I should feel. Thanks for this
Hi! Love your post. I had three boys of my own and adopted three more. Raising six boys is truly a blessing. I never wanted a girl, so God blessed me with what I wanted ~ BOYS! They are all so different, but were very close to each other. I’m grateful I raised six wonderful respectful young men. They range from ages 32 to 38. They are all married and starting families of their own. The only thing is that the phrase that says
“Your daughter is your daughter for the rest of your life, and your son is your son until he takes a wife”
Is so true for me. My daughter-in-laws are so jealous of my sons relationship with me and each other. They don’t like when they reach out to me for whatever reasons. The Lord don’t like ugly, I always tell them. What goes around comes around, I say. So only the future will tell. In the mean time, I will enjoy my sons when they are able to reach out to me and each other, and pray I will be allowed around my grandkids as well; and may the cousins get to know each other too. Prayers welcomed <3
Jealousy is such an ugly emotion ~ I say <3
Hi Anabel, thanks for sharing your experience! I have heard that phrase too, and it always makes me a little sad, because I didn’t have any control over whether or not I had boys or girls. But I will pray for you now and future me that our daughters-in-law will desire a relationship with their mothers-in-law!