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OMG thank you so much! I come from a family of six brothers, had my two sons, and helped raise my husband's two boys, who are ten years younger than my kids--from the time they were 4 and 7. I love boys. Totally love them.

First of all--bless your heart! That two-year age difference is brutal in the beginning, but it gets easier.

Secondly, since I never had daughters, I don't know how to compare raising boys with girls. And I'm feeling a little bit like this SNL skit with Emma Thompson, because we mothers of adults have a pretty selective memory.

But since you were sweet enough to ask, here are my five best pieces of advice, in no particular order:

1. Trust your gut and be kind to yourself. Your instincts are your best guide. Even so, you'll make a ton of mistakes. It's okay. Apologize if you have to, and then just forgive yourself. There's no one right way to do this, every kid is different, and we're all learning as we go.
   
2. Validate your kids, and let them figure out their solutions whenever you can. It's very liberating. So when they say, "I HATE my teacher!" instead of saying, "No you don't" or telling them what they should do to fix the problem, say "Wow. You sound really upset," and then stop. It's amazing what they'll tell you when you stop talking. If you ask questions and repeat back what you hear them say, they'll learn how to figure things out by themselves, which is the goal, right? Check out "How To Talk So Kids Will Listen And Listen So Kids Will Talk." That book saved my life.
   
3. Have fun whenever you can. Tell jokes, play games, play pranks, even. Have adventures. The best thing about kids is that they give you permission to be goofy. My favorite memories with my kids are these things.
   
4. Be the home their friends can come to, where they're always welcome. You will never regret setting another plate, driving to pick up a buddy who doesn't have a ride, or saying "yes" to another overnight, at least not in the long run.
   
5. Tell your boys often that you love them, and tell them why. Tell them that their artwork makes you feel happy, that you loved seeing them be so gentle with the neighbor's cat, that you love knowing you can trust them to do the right thing, that you know it's hard to be a little brother, or a big brother, and you appreciate them.
   
   But most of all, be kind to yourself.

On the one hand, I think this dude disagrees, but on the other hand, is any denim vest really a men's vest?