Trafalgar Square Books just released its new children’s book TEX by Dorie McCullough Lawson, and my two-and-a-half-year-old son can’t get enough of it. Of course, I willingly participate in his game of pretend, as we page through the book and talk about the adventures of one very small cowboy….and not once do I doubt that Western hat, boots, and horse can come vibrantly to life in our Boston apartment.

I admit my heart does a little pitter-patter when my son dons his own cowboy hat and assumes a “tough” stance, his feet slightly apart, a slight bow in his legs, and a serious crease to his brow. I probably should be wishing for medical school or computer wizardry, but honestly, I’d be awfully proud if he grew up to be a cowboy.

This got me to pondering—what IS it about the “cowboy” mystique that women love so much? Here are 10 reasons I think cowboys hold our attention, whatever their age:

1  They can fix things and heal things, usually without much fuss.

2  They use words that mean something, only when they need to be used.

3  Their eyes crinkle in the corners.

4  They can drive a rig, a tractor, a digger…even backward when need be.

5  When they fall down, they get back up again.

6  They like dirt, sky, and wind…and a little rain doesn’t hurt, either.

7  Those jeans. Usually Wranglers.

8  They’re willing to dance when the music is right.

9  They listen to their mothers….most of the time. 

10  They love horses as much as we do.

Have a look at my little cowboy in the video below…I admit, I’m a pretty lucky lady, but with a little help from TEX, you can raise one of your very own!

TEX by Dorie McCullough Lawson is available now, just in time for the holidays, at the TSB online bookstore, where shipping in the US is always FREE.

Rebecca Didier, Senior Editor (and proud mother of a cowboy-to-be)