Managing Sisters

Growing up with a sister can be difficult at times however, more often than not, brothers tend to have an unspoken need to look after their sister no matter what, regardless of their age or age difference. And we just love this fact!

When it comes to their relationship with their sister, for many men blood really is thicker than water.

While brothers may not necessarily go out of their way to defend their sister’s honour or fight their battles, they will not make it easy for negative influences to feel welcome in their family and rightly so! Boys are raised generally as protectors of the family and as boyfriends come and go – the brother is always there for support – even if it is not voiced or acknowledged. Sisters may even feel the need to have their brothers meet their soon to be boyfriend or partner in order to make sure that he meets her brother’s approval.

Of course much of this close bond is created as the siblings are growing up and has everything to do with the family lifestyle and the time the siblings spent together as children. Fostering a close and supportive relationship between brothers and sister, pointing out that they are first and foremost friends, will carry on well into their adulthood.

If you speak to siblings of any age they will be only too quick to point out what they dislike about their brother or sister. As kids, it isn't the done thing to look as though you really like your siblings.

SO, don't worry if your boys squabble with their sisters. They will be there to support them even when you're not. Remember that for them, it's ok to pick on their sister but nobody else is allowed to do it!

Let Boys be Boys

Boys, what can we do with them?

They are noisy, boisterous, rowdy, busy and can't sit still for long. They are curious, inquisitive and just have to touch, feel and explore their surroundings.

How inconvenient.

You know, sometimes I wonder if adults have forgotten the wonderful wildness that boys bring with them. There has been such an increase in the number of boys diagnosed with ADD and ADHD that it seems like an epidemic. Is it possible that we've forgotten what being a boy is like?

Not all boys want to sit in front of a computer game. They are bursting with physical energy that has to be used up before it explodes out of them in a way that doesn't fit 'indoors.' Then they find themselves in trouble.

Then boys get to school and find themselves cooped up in a classroom for hours...

Boys learn differently from girls. Girls seem to absorb learning just by listening but boys love to experiment and experience. They learn from doing instead of listening. They learn from acting out their wild fantasies and burning up the energy that can block their concentration.

That's where I have a problem with the restrictions being put on the way boys play and the toys they are allowed to play with. Well, specifically toys like guns.

While a gun wouldnt' be my first choice of toy for my son, I don't think that playing cowboys and indians or cops and robbers is going to turn him into an aggressive teenager or adult. It's only a toy and that's how kids use them. It's a prop for their imaginations. It's a tool for burning their energies. It's not real.

I think we need to let boys be boys. Let them do what comes naturally to them instead of interfering and making their childhood into something safe and sanitised with no opportunity to experiment. I wonder if the teen boys of today would be so angry if they had been allowed to act out their games when they were small? I wonder if they'd choose knives and guns now if they'd been allowed to play with the toy versions as children? I wonder if controlling their innate boy behaviours as kids has made them miss out on something they should have learnt years ago?

I think we need to let boys be boys. It's our job to give them a safe environment in which to learn. It's not our job to stop them playing the way nature intended them to.

Indoor Play

It's that strange change of season time where the weather can swing from sunny to wet in the blink of an eye. How do you keep kids entertained when they have to stay indoors? We all know boys can plonk themselves in front of the TV or a computer and be turned into zombies for hours on end. But there are some really simply and easy indoor play activities that will let kids explore new ideas and engage in creative play all while having fun.

• Caves: help the boys construct a “cave” in a large space such as your living room using sheets, chairs and pegs – or even using the dining room table. They can hide out there and bring in “supplies” to “explore” the cave or play games like dragon slayers.
• Make paper airplanes. Here is a link to an excellent website that has numerous paper airplane designs complete with how-to videos and instructions.
• Marbles! Boys love marbles but most don’t know how to actually play a game. You can have a look here for some instructions and together discover a whole new world of marbles.
• String maze: Tie a prize to the end of a ball of string, and then unwind the ball around the room – over objects, under and across things. On the other end tie a pencil or stick and give it to the boys to wind the string back up. When they are at the end they will find their prize.

Along with craft activities, puzzles and games and making yummy things to eat in the kitchen you will soon find that there is not enough time in the day for all these great indoor activities for your boy!

Meals Made More Fun with the Dinosaur-shaped Sandwich Cutter

Sometimes it's hard to get kids to eat food that looks healthy. They just don't like the taste, they hate vegetables or maybe they just don’t like the texture.

Often, too, children get so engrossed with playtime they just don't want waste time eating. With so much natural energy, they can go on playing without eating but as parents. We know that it isn’t good for them.

With the Dinosaur-shaped sandwich cutter from About a Boy you can entice you child to eat at the right time and even to eat the right food. This fun sandwich cutter features a stainless steel body with a molded plastic top for easy grip that even your little kitchen helpers can safely hold.

Though it is made much like your regular cookie cutter, these special sandwich cutters are deeper and much stronger than your cookie cutter variety. It can easily cut through 2 slices of bread with filling, which saves you time and allows you to have an even, clean cut.

The dinosaur-shaped cutter also comes with its very own plastic storage box which can double as your child's lunchbox in school or at the playground. In addition, when you buy this special shaped sandwich cutter, About a Boy will donate $1 to the RSPCA.

When kids don’t like food change their focus by adding some fun to what they are eating. Their imaginations will do the rest.

Should Boys play with girls toys?

Should boys play with dolls, and kitchens and play dress ups with their Mummy’s clothes?

NO!

Nor should women work as a Police Detective, in the Fire Brigade or Armed Forces. They should be a nurse, secretary, nanny, or child care worker. And when women marry and have children, they shall be forever beholden to their family to meet all of their wants and needs, and live happily ever after.

Silly isn’t it?

What is so wrong with allowing a child, boy or girl, to relax and explore the world without concern about whether a toy or a game is gender appropriate?

Kids learn by observation and imitation, and the desire to copy the same sex parent is strong, but not all consuming.

Play is one of the major vehicles young children use to discover the world, and what better way to do it than by experimenting, and having a bag full of fun doing it! Kids don’t know if it is wrong to play with a doll or a truck, they just know what they like, until someone tells them it is ‘wrong’. A boy can learn so many positive things by playing with a doll, such as gentleness, protectiveness, aspects of care giving and responsibility for a “little” person. These things don’t make him less of a ‘boy’ or more likely to be attracted to the same sex as he gets older, they make him a potentially good member of an adult society.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a lawn to mow, as the dinner bubbles away in the slow cooker.

Clothes Built for Boys

Ah boys! One wise person described them as “Noise covered in dirt”.

Which pretty much sums up the species. They’re active, rowdy, messy and boisterous!

They NEED clothes that accommodate these amazing attributes.

Depending on the age of your boy – although don’t be fooled into thinking “but he’s so little, what could he possibly get up to!” – will determine exactly what sort of clothes you need for your little bundle of chaos.

As a guide, boys do stuff like:

• Run

• Climb

• Jump

• Play in dirt, mud, sand, leaves, tan bark, piles of “stuff”

• Crawl around floors, asphalt, footpaths, grass

• Ride things on wheels really fast!

They do these things in two speeds: Top gear or Asleep

A combination of durable, yet not stressing you out about them getting ruined, is important when choosing clothes.

Clothes with double layering at the knees (and elbows in some cases) and made of a durable material, like denim, are idea.

Long sleeved t-shirts help to give a small amount of protection to arms, but too long and they become an impediment to activity. They also become extremely dirty, stretched and ruined at the ends of the arms, so keep them to wrist length at the most.

Loose fitting tracksuit pants are fantastic for active play, especially running, climbing and jumping activities. They allow freedom of movement when climbing playgrounds, chasing and kicking balls or jumping off all manner of things.

Be cautious of pants that are too long or too loose, as they can become a tripping hazard or get caught on tree branches and bike handles.

Due to long bouts of crawling around on floors, shoes with a reinforced toe area are essential! Supportive, yet flexible shoes are also helpful for protecting ankles and feet when landing, but also allow for easy climbing.

Mostly, go for durable … if not easily washable!

Have a look at the choices we have in store. We know what boys like and we know what mothers of boys need.

The Need for Speed

What is it with little boys and going fast?

No sooner do they learn to walk and they are off! Why walk when you can run, or ride, or glide? Little men on the move make us tired watching, and trying to catch them can be a mission impossible.

It seemed like such a good idea, buying that first walker or ride on or tricycle.

“Watch out, handle bars straight” BANG! Another bruise and more paint off the wall. Oh well. We know boys get obsessed with all things with wheels sooner or later. But did it have to happen so fast you wonder?

After waiting with baited breath, wanting our little boys to hurry up and walk, we seem to spend the next few decades wishing they would slow down! Not to mention the bumps, bruises and the trips to the Emergency Department at the hospital. As much as we hate to see our little boys sore and sorry, at least they slow down long enough that we can steal a cuddle and a kiss.

Then...

What are little boys made of?

Frogs and snails

And puppy-dogs' tails.

Now...

What are fast moving little dudes made of?

Skateboards and scooters

Captain Underpants and computers.

And we wouldn’t have it any other way!