A dynamic duo

"Behold, sons are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate." Psalm 127:3-5

I grew up in a home with brothers...and I LOVED it! I never wished for anything different. I always felt protected, unique (being the only girl), valued, and upfront and center for some of the most challenging battles that young men face.

Eric took his role of "oldest sibling" seriously. It was never a dictatorship to him. He wore it as a badge of honor and knew from a very young age that his role required self-sacrificing courage. If we were hurting or in crisis, we knew he would be there ready to stand up on our behalf. Despite having occasionally played the devil's advocate, we all knew he was a steady rock and that his foundation was firm. His knowledge and grasp of God's word far surpassed his age. Typical of an "engineer" mind, his mode of operation was to calculate, solve, fix, and apply. This explained his incredible advancement in mathematics. Things were clearly aligned in his mind, so much so that there was rarely gray a area that he struggled to understand. He had a bible verse or story that was applicable to anything and everything that he came across in life. Matt was the meticulous comic in the family. Meticulous because his inner world expressed itself through make believe play. Each scene he composed with his toys was unbelievably intricate and NOT TO BE TOUCHED! It was vivid and important to him. As we walked across his micro machine battle field's he would yell, "STOP! You'll get caught in the crossfire!" If you wanted to know about identifying military ranks by uniform decoration, Matt could tell you all about it. If you wanted to know about battle strategies used in the civil war, Matt was your guy. In his free time, after completing his school assignments, he spent hours pouring over and memorizing 4" thick books explaining war strategies. It was incredibly safe to say that Matt was well versed in economics, history, and politics. Like Eric, his wisdom and knowledge far surpassed his age. We also knew his inner world was complex by his humor. He was much more quiet than Eric or myself, but this gave him time to observe. When he spoke up, he always had us in stitches!

Having grown up with young men like my brothers, I was thrilled to know I was having twin BOYS! I got the privilege of experiencing the world and adventures of little boys all over again, but from a new perspective. I knew it and it was familiar. One of the most amazing things I've found is how much our sons learn and absorb from unfamiliar things that we haven't encouraged or exposed them to yet. One being superheroes! We do not own comic books, they do not watch marvel superhero movies, but somehow they can still point out Batman, Spiderman, Ironman, and Superman! They have no context to pinpoint who these characters are, but somehow they know that they're savior's and protectors of people. They know and grasp that, above all, God is our protector because He knows and sees all, that Jesus Christ saved us from our sin, and that the Holy Spirit guides and prompts us, but there is an inherent desire in boys to PROTECT those they love, SAVE their world from conflict, YELL a battle cry of revolution, and CRASH, BOOM, and ZOOM their way through every situation possible. A day ended covered in dirt, sweat, scrapes, and bruises is a day well spent! As terrifying as it may be and as obnoxious as it may sound, in moderation, these are characteristics to cherish and nurture in our sons while we can.

"Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger." Psalm 8:2

That being said...

I LOVE that they still pout and ask me for a band-aid.

I LOVE that they ask me to pray for their owies.

I LOVE that, for the most part, their hurts are still small enough to be fixed by a snuggle with me or Ryan.

I LOVE that they are comfortable seeking love and affirmation from people besides Ryan and I.

I LOVE that they tell us that God is with them and protecting them from all things that scare them most.

I LOVE that their hurts have not stopped them from barking up the courage to stand back up and try again.

Just as I loved growing up with brothers, I LOVE being a mom to boys!

Copyright 2015 ->Renee Sunberg