What are you going to do with 3 boys?

Buy a wrestling mat.

No really, buy a wrestling mat.

It is inevitable that after telling whomever it is I come across that I have boy #3 on the way, they will ask me, wow, what are you going to do with 3 boys?

This has always been my answer.  At first everyone laughs, ha funny joke.  Then I say again, no, really, I do want a wrestling mat.

Not that I want to encourage aggression.  But I need to face the fact that I have 3 boys.  Well almost.  They are amazing and loving little men that give me hugs, rub my growing baby belly and tell me that they love me.  Then the next second they are climbing as high as they can on our furniture so they can be a super hero and jump off.

I can only imagine that as they get older the heights will get higher and their muscles will get stronger.  They will continue to have a need for danger and risk.  I have heard of families with 3 boys where one or more have ended up with broken bones from wrestling.  I might as well see if I can find a slightly safer way to do what boys do.  That, and establish some basic rules.  I think I might actually look up the official wrestling rules and hang them in my house.

I am sure this mat will also be used for tumbling, as that is a favorite activity these days as well. 

One day, a few weeks ago, I ran into a long time family friend.  She raised 2 boys and then a had a surprise little girl that is now 16.  I told her that our 3rd boy was on the way and she again asked what everyone asks.  What are you going to do with 3 boys?  I responded in my usual way and after I said, no, really, I want to buy a wresting mat, she looked at me and said "you know, I think I have one you could have."  Her daughter had gotten into gymnastics and she had bought her a tumbling mat but it had been sitting in their basement for a while, unused.  She needed to check with her daughter to make sure her daughter didn't mind if she gave it away.  Danielle said it was okay.  So, yay!  Today we got our wrestling mat. 

I cleared the floor of all the toys, laid it out and it seemed the boys instinctively knew what to do.  I guess I did help them a little, guidance more than anything.

In this video Lachlan and Peter had been transforming from boys to dinosaurs.  Peter didn't want to be a dinosaur anymore.  So they were just boys for a while, they wrestled and then did some flips.  This is 1 minute of the 20 plus they played on it when I first laid it out.

So Karen and Danielle, I must say, Thank you!  This mat will help them burn off a lot of energy.  For that I am so grateful.  It might even save us from a few emergency room visits.  We shall see.