Walk like a man

I hear very often from folks that Noah's blessed to have a son. That he will teach his son so much "manly" stuff. That Noah could never have stomached tea parties and estrogen if we'd had a girl. I smile, grin and chuckle to myself. Yes, all of those things are true, although I'm sure Noah would have been a perfect tea party guest (he's a big ol' teddy bear), but many of Gideon's early "manly" lessons have come from his momma. Yes, I know, shocking. If you know me, you know I am a girly girl. I like all things pink, I like shoes, I like to shop, and I hate getting dirty. And while all of that is true, it's also true that I wield a mean paint brush, can haul trash like the best of them and am quite the helpmate to my wonderful husband. I do all the yard work, and am a whiz at pressure washing. If something breaks, I attempt to fix it before calling in the calvary. I do not hesitate to hop in the man truck with my boy to go to the hardware store for something we're lacking. What I'm saying here is just as there is more to Noah than a rough, tough man, there is more to me than flowers and bows. I like the fact that I have a boy. I like the fact that he sees his mom tackle all sorts of projects while dad is at work. I like that he sees a strong woman working just as hard as his dad at making his house a home. The other day while I was hauling drywall and tile into the bed of the truck in preparation of going to the dump, I sat Gideon outside in his stroller so he could watch. We talked the entire time about how dusty the job was, how much daddy would appreciate our efforts, and just how much fun the dump would be. I loaded and sweated while Gideon chewed on his octopus and giggled. Seems fair enough. I also mentioned to him that this would be his job in a few years, so he'd better take notes. I hope one day in 10 or so years, while Gideon's out mowing the lawn or fixing the toilet, he'll remember who taught him those first valuable lessons about hard work. And I hope it will be his father and mother he remembers getting dirty!