What Are Your Boys Into?

Ever notice how certain obsessions come and go?

For awhile, Boy #2 was obsessed with dinosaurs. Then he switched to butterflies. (Go figure.) Some days, the Tonka trucks are in style. Other days, they’re not.

The latest obsessions at my house are Lincoln logs, sand and water. Let me explain.

The Lincoln logs are just, well, cool. We had some for years, but as you’ve probably already figured out, you can never have too many Lincoln logs. So when none of my brothers stepped up to claim the Lincoln logs at my parents’ house last fall, I brought them home and added them to our stash.

For three days now, my youngest three boys have been creating elaborate constructions out of the notched wooden blocks. Garages seem to be their building-of-choice; miniature cars sit safely in the structures, guarded by the plastic figurines my boys so helpfully place on the roof.

Of course, no boy can stay inside forever, and lately when mine head outside, they head straight for the sandbox. They started digging last week, during a major rain storm. They dug out a pit, next to the sandbox. (WHY do they always have to dig next to the sandbox?) The pit filled with water, as intended. The boys joked that it would be funny to see a fish in the puddle, and Boy #1 happily agreed. He went fishing early the next morning with a friend and not-so-secretly planted three bullheads in the pit.

I may have been the only woman in the neighborhood with fish swimming at the bottom of her garage stairs. I’m pretty sure I’m the only woman in the neighborhood (in the town?) who ate a fish dinner today from her backyard. (Boy #1 fried us up a succulent fish dinner today after adding fish to the pond yesterday).

So the fish are gone — but the boys’ interest in sand and water has not abated. They were out there again this afternoon, re-shaping the pond and creating rivers, streams and dams.

What are your boys into these days?

The Building Boys Bulletin

The Building Boys Bulletin Newsletter gives you the facts, encouragement, and inspiration you need to help boys thrive. Written by Jennifer L.W. Fink, mom of four sons and author of Building Boys: Raising Great Guys in a World That Misunderstands Males, Building Boys Bulletin includes:

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“I learned a lot about helping boys thrive over the past 20+ years — most of it the hard way! I’m eager to share what I’ve learned to make your path a little easier.”   – Jennifer

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6 Responses

  1. Hehe, yes, the sandbox is a hit here also, but currently Son #1 is into building “tunnels” out of our couch pillows and then using our emergency flashlights to help him see in the tunnels. Son #2 is only 6 months old but is a climber/crawler already and loves to climb over the pile of pillows that Son #1 made! Needless to say, my living room always looks like a hurricane now.

  2. Amtgard.
    Amtgard.
    which means they are sewing, planning events too host, designing weapons….. and lots of foam weapon battling.

    Gavin obsesses about any information ‘sciencey or physics’

    and they STILL play with Legos dig in the dirt.

  3. Haha- that made me laugh! I came home from work tonight and my boys ran to me with a bucket of… you guessed it, sand and water. It also had a tiny little toad in it that they were determined would be their new pet. Thankfully, the bucket got spilled and the toad “escaped”. 🙂
    Star Wars has been an ongoing obsession in our home. So, lightsaber duels have become popular lately and my oldest (7) has a nasty bruise on his chest from a “battle” this weekend. I think he’d do better to stick to fighting his little brother (3) and avoid the 15 yr-old new neighbor boy across the street!
    Interesting topic to think about. Thanks for the smile! 🙂

  4. @Noellen — My living room ALWAYS looks like a hurricane went through!

    @Kimberly — What’s Amtgard? Whatever it is, it sounds like fun.

    @Helen — #2 caught a mouse in his room the other night. And wanted to keep it for a pet. I talked them into a one-night stay.

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