How Did We Get Here?

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment where my son became a Mama’s Boy. I’ve retraced our 8+ months of history, and I honestly can’t say when it happened. Perhaps it was a slow progression. But somewhere along the line the boy has decided that in moments as mundane as playing in the living room floor to moments as traumatic as fighting this most recent cold, he would rather have Mama than Dada.

I can’t say how I feel about this exactly. There’s the sensible, rational part of me who realizes that it’s quite natural for young boys to develop an affinity for their mothers. But then there’s the selfish, emotional part of me that is saddened by it and wonders what I could have done differently.

Rationally I realize there’s not much I could have done. I’m a pretty good Dad. I’m fun, I take care of him, I play with him, cuddle him, hug him and kiss him. I do most all the things that his mother does. I just don’t do them like she does, apparently.

It was a fascinating thing to watch happen. My wife is a devoted and excellent mother, so you can't blame the boy for "picking" her. But the whole time I kept watching him desire her comfort and presence more and I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt a bit.

So chalk up one more cliché as being true. Mama’s Boys and (hopefully, someday) Daddy’s Girls. Now excuse me while I wallow in my own self pity.