Rough and Tumble

Gavin's favorite new thing to play is "roughhouse."

Because he's a boy. So of course it is.

He'll look at me with an ornery grin and say, "Let's play roughhouse!" and then charge me at full speed so he can knock me over. It always ends with an embrace and a fit of giggles, which makes it my favorite as well.

Technically, I guess, he's been roughhousing for a while now. But the fact that he now defines it as "roughhousing" and surprises me constantly with the sheer amount of force inside his tiny little body has made it seem so very "boy" to me.

Not surprisingly, Bennett is learning quickly that roughhousing = FUN. Last night, I was putting his PJs on in my bedroom and Gavin was entertaining himself stacking pillows on the bed. His stacking easily turned into free-falling onto the pillows, and Bennett followed suit naturally, crawling after Gavin and throwing himself into the fun. Bennett climbed on Gavin, Gavin feigned being knocked over, and they giggled and giggled, and did it over and over again.

It was the first time they "roughhoused" together (as much as a baby can roughhouse, anyway), and I couldn't help thinking that this is what my life was going to be like with boys.

A little "rougher," but with lots and lots of love. And probably fighting. But let's hope that's a few years away.