When my daughter, Melissa, announced that she was expecting for the fourth time, I knew – I just knew – it was going to be a sweet, precious little baby girl, especially since she already had three boys. I was so sure about it in fact, that the night they came over for dinner to announce the gender of their new bundle of joy, I had a congratulatory cake with pink frosting ready and waiting. “It’s a boy!” they exclaimed.
So, my dream of a granddaughter in pink dresses and sugar and spice and everything nice went right out the window. But I got used to the idea. On the baby shower cake (with blue frosting) I wrote: “It’s a Boy – Again.” But, of course, when baby Elijah made his entrance into the world, I was completely smitten. And his brothers were ecstatic.
It has been said that a woman who has only sons will be surrounded by handsome men for the rest of her life. This is certainly true for my daughter and her four sons: Brennan, Mack, Noah and Elijah. And, if I do say so myself, they are very handsome young men.
She certainly has her hands full being the mother of four boys so far apart in age. Brennan is almost 17 and a junior in high school, works part-time at KFC and has maintained a 4.0 GPA. He will surely succeed in life. Mack, 15, just got his driver’s permit (God, help us) and is the jock and outdoorsman of the family. He loves hockey, wrestling, cross-country, golf, hunting, fishing, you name it. Noah, 12, is the creative one, the jokester and prankster. Elijah, almost 3, the “baby” with blue eyes and blonde hair, is spoiled by his big brothers and everyone else.
Melissa not only does laundry around the clock, cooks homemade dinners, attends sporting events and field trips, and chauffeurs non-stop throughout the day, she is an online Baker College student, just an internship away from an Associate’s Degree, working on a Bachelors in Criminal Justice. She also works part-time as a server at a family diner just down the street to help make ends meet.
Her day begins at 5am by getting the boys off to school. The endless, sweaty-boy laundry starts piling up right away. And it almost takes a second mortgage to feed four hungry boys. Toddler toys scatter the living room floor, along with a few smelly pairs of shoes, “Paw Patrol” is blaring on the TV and Noah is riding his scooter indoors (which he knows he’s NOT supposed to do). But the house is always filled with boisterous laughter, jokes and a whole lot of sparring and wrestling. The family pet, a pit bull named Lily (the only other female in the house) is always trying to find a spot on the couch. Oh, I forgot to mention the two cats and the hamster.
Melissa’s wardrobe consists of sweatshirts and yoga pants, and Tim Horton’s coffee (double double) keeps her going throughout the day. But she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Mother’s Day, the second Sunday in May, is a celebration of mothers all around the world. And the mother of four boys certainly deserves a celebration, and maybe a day off from cooking and cleaning. That’s not likely to happen for Melissa; but she may get a few minutes to herself (if she is lucky) for a bubble bath without someone banging on the bathroom door. What she is guaranteed to receive is a whole lot of hugs.
Happy Mother’s Day to you, Melissa, to all the mothers with boys – and ALL mothers – enjoy your special day!
Photo Provided by Cheryl Dennison
