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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what you love about having a son

227 replies

BoyOhBoyOhBoi · 27/08/2020 09:36

So I recently found out we are expecting a baby boy and we are so excited!

My family is basically all girls, all baby cousins growing up were girls, all nieces etc... Are girls so I've never really been around or have much experience with baby boys!

I think because of my family I always had it in my head that I'd end up with a daughter but now I'm having a son (which is totally fine!).

Just wondering if some of you can share with me your experiences with having a baby boy and what you love about it? Smile (and maybe even if there is anything you think I need to be extra prepared for!).

OP posts:
Beachbodylonggone · 27/08/2020 09:39

I have 8 x ds's.
I would say that they love cuddles.
Even my 19yo loves a hug!!

Rainonplain · 27/08/2020 09:40

I love that he is exactly the same as his sister.
Babies are babies, kids are kids.

Sanjii · 27/08/2020 09:41

I really don't think having a baby boy is a different experience from having a baby girl.

Congrats!

IncludeWomenInTheSequel · 27/08/2020 09:42

My son is really loving and tactile. Sometimes when I'm still asleep in the morning he creeps in just to give me a kiss and stroke my forehead. He's absolutely full of fun and loves making games; his favourite thing is for us to do things 'as a family', he's really happy surrounded by us all.

He's brilliant at practical things, building, fixing things, and has a very inventive spirit. He's absolutely never bored! He's already told me that he's never moving out 'because I want to have a happy life with you'

I'm 50/50 on that to be honest Grin but the sentiment is lovely. He's just turned 8.

ChaBishkoot · 27/08/2020 09:43

I have two sons. One is quite ‘feminine’, loves shopping and chatting to me and is nerdy and bookish. And then I have a wild one who loves cuddles and laughs at my absurd jokes (I mean you have to say the word ‘bottom’ to him and he collapses in laughter) and is perpetually in superhero mode. They love each other fiercely though. The younger one told me the other day, spontaneously (two hours after being reprimanded quite sternly for pulling his brother’s hair), ‘he’s not my brovver, he is my bestestest friend.’ And then thought for a moment and said: ‘I think I am a lucky boy.’
Sob.

Monkeynuts18 · 27/08/2020 09:43

I only have a little boy so don’t know if it’s different from having a little girl (I suspect not as my friends’ little girls are equally adorable and hilarious), but he’s wonderful!

Congratulations!

ChaBishkoot · 27/08/2020 09:44

Oh my 8 year old is also never moving out. He also talks NON STOP.

corythatwas · 27/08/2020 09:44

The only thing you need to be extra prepared for imo is that they're quite capable of peeing in your eye when you change their nappy. Cover it up straight away when you've taken the old nappy off. Also, make sure their willy points down when you've put the nappy on: otherwise they'll be soaking their front.

Other than that- ime it's mainly about personalities. I felt the same as you, but the other way round; I'd grown up surrounded by boys and didn't really feel ready for a mother-daughter relationship though I knew my nieces quite well. It was fine, you have plenty of time to get to know them as an individual.

Other posters will no doubt tell you they're like puppies, they need plenty of exercise, they're more straightforward than girls, more physical. I think all children benefit from outdoor exercise and that either sex can be either boisterous and timid.

Prettybluepigeons · 27/08/2020 09:45

I have 2 sons and they have been an absolute delight. All grown up now but still affectionate and open and loving. We do lots of stuff together and talk and laugh etc
Just gorgeous.

justanotherneighinparadise · 27/08/2020 09:46

I have no idea as I only have boys but going from what my friends say who have a mix, boys tend to be the ones who love the cuddles and stay young emotionally for longer. Girls have a fiercely independent streak that is wonderful but can sometimes look like a lack of affection.

SparkyBlue · 27/08/2020 09:46

I find my little boy is more interested in cuddles than his sisters. I've had others mums say that they find their boys more affectionate as well so it's not just me

thegcatsmother · 27/08/2020 09:46

Mine is almost 25.

I didn't have to go through the make up/periods/flouncing stuff that I put my Mum through when I was a teen with a boy. Conversations are direct with none of the subtext that goes on with girls. That is not an insult, just years of teaching secondary, and not having a daughter, one could observe the girls and note the differences.

Whichever sex your child is, they are an individual, with their own quirks and foibles, and it's fun finding them out.

thegcatsmother · 27/08/2020 09:49

Just to add, after being away for six years of sixth form and university, as he did an MAC straight after his BA, he returned home. My Mum thinks he'll never move out, as he's too comfortable.

MatildaTheCat · 27/08/2020 09:49

Mine are adults now. As children there was definitely less crying, screaming and histrionics than families with girls. And they say what they mean. Their friendships are a lot less complicated and we also have a close relationship.

Lovely. Enjoy.

thegcatsmother · 27/08/2020 09:49

Duh!! MA, not MAC.

PeachPotato · 27/08/2020 09:50

I had quite an idea in my head of what having a daughter would be like, and less idea about sons. I feel like this made me better able to just get to know him as an individual. 💙

cherrybakewellll · 27/08/2020 09:51

I have 2 DS, it was just us for a few years and I was a single parent to them, I now have a DD too with my DH.

The differences I've noticed with boys is that they tend to get over things pretty easily where as girls hold grudges Grin

The boys are very loyal to me and although they are only primary school age, they always say to me 'worry about yourself mum, not about us'.

Enko · 27/08/2020 09:52

hugs ds is 18 he gives the best hugs

Humour laughter

Rugby boots cricket bats

His energy

The way he cares about people

His smell even now age 18 he smells so uniquely "him" even his sisters have commented

This friends and how they support each other different to the girls (e ven though they have lovely friends its just a different dynamic)

Stick collections

How he loves the dog

The girls say ds is a mummy's boy and on some level I have to agree we have a strong bond. However i also think it's because he and I are very alike. Personality wise.

I love spending time with ds he makes me see the world through his eyes and it's a wonderful experience

I am very much a girly personality and due to this have found my girly girls easier on many levels. However ds has allowed me to see stuff I would not otherwise and I feel so lucky to have him in my life (his sisters toobut this is about boys)

MynephewR · 27/08/2020 09:52

I have one of each and pretty much echo what corythatwas posted, the only thing that is different is trying to avoid getting wee on your face when changing a boy's nappy Grin

My girl is calm, cautious and kind. My boy is wild, daring and cheeky. But I put this down to their personalities, the most boisterous child I know is a girl.

Congratulations Smile

Hollyhead · 27/08/2020 09:53

I have two DS’s, but they are both so cuddly, they want to snuggle and cuddle about once an hour and the eldest is nearly 9! they’re very different personality wise, I’ve tried to be as gender neutral as possible and as a result discovered that the older one loves baths with bath bombs, and fancy candles - he gets very excited when I light the white company one!

BikeRunSki · 27/08/2020 09:59

He (12 very soon) is a lot more straightforward than his sister. He’s grumpy - feed him, he’s tired - hell sleep, he’s had a loyal group of friends since about Y1 (about to start Y7), treat him like a Labrador - fresh air, food, exercise abd he’s fine. DD(8) is far more complicated and always getting upset over tiny things, I often get the feeling she is trying to trip me up!

corythatwas · 27/08/2020 10:04

I too have one of each and not only do they have personalities that don't transform into a matching Venn diagram with traditional ideas: they have also changed quite considerably over the years. Still recognisably themselves, but also different in so many ways.

The timid anxious little boy grew up into a calm dignified young man. From speaking non-stop he went over not speaking at all to a normal adult level of polite conversation. From being clumsy and physically anxious (the kind who never got picked for a football team at school) he went on to do a highly physical BTEC programme and spends all his leisure time doing exercise and (pre-pandemic) playing football.

recklessruby · 27/08/2020 10:05

I have a ds and dd. Ds is the eldest and I have been a lone parent most of their lives.
As a little boy he was cuddly and sweet and interested in so many things esp dinosaurs.
Dd was lovely too but as a little girl God the tantrums. As a teenager harder work than ds.
He s 32 now and back living with me. He s a big lad, 6ft 2 and very protective of me and his sister.
Bonus is he s great at fixing things and flat pack assembly which I hate and have no patience for.
He and I share a lot of personality traits, we are both artistic and love nature.
Dd and I do too, but we are either best friends or sworn enemiesGrin
Sons are pretty easy but they eat so much and (mine) was very tough on his clothes and shoes growing up.

ArcticSky · 27/08/2020 10:06

I have 2 young boys and they are so cuddly and loving. They are completely different though: one constantly climbing and jumping everywhere, the other much more of a thinker and will sit reading/lining up cars etc.

I work with teenagers and definitely agree that boys don't hold grudges for as long!!!

peppermintpigs · 27/08/2020 10:07

What I love about themis down to personality more then anything else. Their sense of humour, their political views and their empathy for people, they are down to earth and you know exactly where you stand. They aren't huggy though Sad

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