10 Things Boys Need

Having boys is demanding, but then again, I guess having children in general is demanding. I'm in my 9th year of raising boys and I may be generalizing but based on my three, and on discussions with other moms of boys, it seems there are recurring themes when it comes to boys needs.

So here's my own list of what boys need:

1. They need food ... a lot of food! In my house I'm always feeding someone and no matter how much I cook and serve, someone is always still hungry.

2. They need to move - to run, jump, climb and expend all that energy!

3. They need love - lots of attention, cuddles and an amazing amount of praise.

4. They need boundaries and they will push against them - hard.

5. They need nature - they need to be outdoors in the fresh air among lots of lizards and bugs. The muddier the better.

6. They need thrills - riding bikes down ramps, jumping off stairs, snowboarding on their sleds, zip lining through forests.

7. They need to build things - legos, block towers, it's like they are born with a love to design and build.

8. They need to destroy things - how else are the lego pieces and blocks going to be strewn all over my floors?

9. They need to roughhouse and to be loud, extremely, sometimes unbearably, loud.

10. They need a lot of food. Did I already mention the food? Yap, it's that important.