Boys are different. From the moment they burst into your life, they bring a whirlwind of energy, noise, and adventure that never seems to slow down. If you’re a mom of boys, you know it’s not just a parenting style—it’s a lifestyle. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world!

Whether it’s the endless supply of dirt in their pockets, the creative use of furniture as a jungle gym, or the unspoken rule that socks never stay on feet, raising boys comes with its own unique (and often hilarious) set of challenges. Here are 50 telltale signs you might be a boy mom—prepare to laugh, nod along, and maybe even roll your eyes in solidarity!

Happy 100th Episode Redeeming the Chaos! Thank you for joining me on the wild, wonderful, chaotic adventure of raising courageous boys and connecting their hearts to Christ!

50 Ways to Tell if You’re a Boy Mom

You *MIGHT* be a boy mom if…

1.  You find shark teeth in your dryer.

2. Your kids take apart old appliances to figure out how they work… dishwasher, microwave, radio, TV.

3. You have debates in your household over whether you should watch Iron Man or Captain America first. 

4. Your parents show up for a birthday party for your four-year-old, and they find your two-year-old wandering up the street, several houses away. 

5. The favorite bedtime game is called “hop on pop”… where dad hides under a pile of sofa cushions and the kids take turns jumping on top.

6. Poop is mentioned 3,872 times a day. 

7. Your 2-year-old walks by carrying a kitchen knife with an apple stabbed on the end of it and you ask, “Is that for your brother? I don’t think so.”  (Yes, thank you Adams Family)

8. Every stick in the yard turns into a sword or a gun or a lightsaber.

9. Every pot & pan in the cupboard is repurposed for their drum line. 

10. You discover that the 3-year-old has been helping you clean the coffee table… using half a bottle of dish soap.

11. You hear “Watch this, Mom!” approximately 12,347 times a day.

12. You walk into a room and wonder who is cooking onions… and then you realize it’s your teenage son and his armpits.

13. You despise cardboard boxes … can I just tell you how much I despise cardboard boxes wandering my house… I love my boys’ creativity, but I can’t stand the mess… forts, robot suits, armor, boats, you name it. They’ve made everything out of cardboard boxes.

14. You realize your 12-year-old son could definitely take you down in a wrestling match… and probably break your arm in the process.

15. You never have enough cookie trays because they’re being repurposed for lego creations.

16. You find nerf darts in every nook and cranny of the house. 

17. Your driveway becomes a death-defying stunt ramp for bikes.

18. You look out your front window and see your children coasting down the street in an old office chair they found free along the side of the road.

19. Your kids are brutally honest… “You know mom, your hair is starting to turn gray.” Or, “You know mom, if you want to lose weight, maybe you shouldn’t cook foods like biscuits and sausage gravy for dinner.” 

20. You know way too much about words like skins, mods, Victory Royale, Meta Knight, Back Bling, V-bucks, Mobs, spawning, creative mode, Creeper, the Nether, etc. (Thank you Fortnight and Minecraft)

21. There is a constant trail of snack wrappers around the house.

22. You have to replace the living room furniture every 3 years because the wooden sofa frames just can’t handle boys. 

23. You’ve also had to replace things like televisions, lamps, carpets, chairs, etc. because… well, boys.

24. Your toilet seat (and the rest of your bathroom) is covered with pee.

25. The noise decibels in your house are nearing that of a Nascar race.

26. The couch cushions are constantly all over the floor.

27. You have 19 billion single socks roaming around the house, none with a match.

28. Every summer, a giant hole gets stuck in your backyard, and then filled in again, only to be re-dug again the next year. 

29. Your family room often gets turned into a wrestling pit.

30. Every time you go to the playground, someone wonders if that is your child at the top of the tallest tree or on the roof of the playhouse. 

31. Your son goes to church with the pelt of a dead animal in his pocket that he tanned himself.

32. Your son is determined to build a bomb using flint and steel.

33. Your son asks for a plastic bag to put his head in. 

34. Your 8-year-old instructs you on the correct way to throw a football spiral.

35. Your son gets his head stuck in a Christmas tree stand because his brother tightened the bolts into his head.

36. You ask someone, “Where are your pants??” at least once a day for the first 10 years of your children’s lives.

37. Characters like Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Wheeljack, Megatron, Starscream, Grimlock, and Unicron become common household names. 

38. You find a dead squirrel in your fridge. 

39. There’s no end to the collection of sharp objects around the house… throwing knives, swords, pocket knives, hatchets, machetes, bows and arrows… 

40. You own 8,000 lego sets.

41. You’ve spent endless hours at watching football games, wrestling matches, soccer games, and swim meets.

42. You have less laundry to do… because your boys never change their clothes.

43. You regularly get greeted with an affectionate headlock.

44. You get phone calls because teachers are concerned that your son is obsessed with blowing things up.

45. Your son wants to wake up early so he can hunt rabbits with his bow and arrow in the backyard. 

46. A random woman that stops by your house to let you know there are children on your roof. 

47. Fistfights breakout on the regular.

48. It’s hard to keep food in your fridge. 

49. Your son asks for a tub of lard for Christmas so he can make homemade torches.

50. You arrive at Grandma’s house with four kids in tow… only to realize that there are only 3 kids buckled into their car seats… and you left the baby at home!

If you can relate to any of these situations, I’d love to hear from you! Send me an email at [email protected], or leave a comment on this post.

Why I love Being a Boy Mom

• I’m thankful I get to be the first woman they’ll ever kiss.
• I’m thankful to be their safe place, even though I sometimes feel like an emotional punching bag.
• I got to watch my son gut his first deer, see the joy on his face, and also the nausea when he almost threw up.
• I got to learn all about the nitrogen cycle, axolotls, and worm farming.
• Playing family games by the fire
• Watching all the Lord of the rings and hobbit extended versions (except for the last Hobbit extended version which is rated R and I have not let them watch).
• Spending hours and hours reading Harry Potter together with each of the boys.
• Laying beside my boys in bed each night. Even my almost 13-year-old still wants me to lay beside him and rub his back.
• My 8-year-old, who still wants to hold my hand and snuggle at bedtime and gives me hugs before he gets on the bus. 
• Doing projects together: crafts, puzzles, 3D paper models, Perler beads, lego creations, teaching my boys how to sew and crochet. 
• Teaching my boys about the Lord and having the privilege of seeing first hand how God is working in the hearts of each of them.

I want to close with some encouragement from one of my favorite Bible verses: 

I Corinthians 15:58

“So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

Galatians 6:9

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

My prayer for you this coming year is that you would be strong and immoveable; that you would not get tired of doing the good work of raising courageous boys, that you would work enthusiastically for the Lord, that you would remember that your labor for the Lord will not be wasted, but that you will reap a harvest of blessing in the Lord, if you do not give up. 

This will be the last podcast episode for 2024. 

Don’t forget, there’s still time to order a copy of Garden of Mysteries, A Dragon Slayer Bible Story. Depending when you’re listening it may still arrive in time for Christmas. You can learn more at www.DragonSlayerBible.com and you can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon. 

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  

100 Episodes of Redeeming the Chaos

Here’s a quick peek over the past 4.5 years and 100 episodes of Redeeming the Chaos.

We’ve discussed topics like:

How to have family devotions with your kids

How to teach your kids to be content

Why are my boys so wild? 

How to maintain sanity in a house full of boys

How to plan a manhood ceremony 

God absolutely gives us more than we can handle 

How to use a heart-based approach to parenting

I’ve interviewed guests like: 

David Thomas , author of Wild Things, the Art of Nurturing Boys and Raising Emotionally Strong Boys

What Do Boys Need From Their Mom?—Interview with David Thomas (Part 1) – RTC 37

Mark Hancock, CEO of Trail Life USA

Let Boys Be Boys — with Mark Hancock – RTC 45

Scott Turansky, Cofounder of the National Center for Biblical Parenting

My Son Won’t Take No for an Answer RTC 60

Lynne Jackson, Cofounder of Connected Families

Parenting Sensitive and Intense Boys RTC 64

Tim Shoemaker, Author of the Very Best Hands on Kinda Dangerous Family Devotions

How to Encourage Your Husband to Lead Family Devotions

SD Smith, Author of the Green Ember Series

How Stories Can Empower Boys to be Dangerous to the Darkness (with SD Smith) RTC 79

Kristen Jenson, Author of Good Pictures, Bad Pictures,

How to Talk to Your Kids About Pornography

Elizabeth Urbanowiz, Founder of Foundation Worldview

How to Talk to Your Kids About God’s Design for Gender

And dozens more!!