This week, we witnessed the emergence of a new phenomenon in the G family. Life is changing, and the arrival of #2 has made my son a little more clingy. So far, so good!
It started quietly, gradually, during my pregnancy… A 3-year-old boy begging me for kisses right in the middle of a meal, from his side of the table. Of course, I made it a point to rush over and plant a kiss on him, because time flies by too fast, and one day—without me even seeing it coming—he’ll stop caring about my little kisses. Besides, there can never be too much love in our home.
Then, Chaton became more and more “Mom” and less and less “Dad.” I can understand that a little. Mom is at home. Although she’s split between two little ones, she has time, less work-related stress, more patience…
And this week: BOOM! It hit me! As usual, Fiston wanted his kiss. As usual, I hurried over to join him on his side of the table. As usual (but less and less often for fear that it might become “wrong”), I leaned in to give him his little peck on the lips. And then—surprise, a nasty surprise—the little guy opened his mouth. Uh… yes, yes, you read that right, as if to give me a big French kiss with tuna salad. I stopped him just in time, glancing at Papa G, who was forced to come to the same realization as I did. That famous complex—the one we’ve heard so much about—had made its way into our home. Just like Oedipus, the little guy suddenly had a slight crush on his mom.
The next morning, I caught my son inventing wild adventures for his two current favorite stuffed animals: Mom Orca and her calf. I listened in:
“Are you coming, sweetheart?”
“Yes, I’m coming, my love!”
“Be careful, my love!”
“I’ll be careful, my love…”
Awkward silence. The sound of crickets.
I know all this is normal. That one day I’ll have to explain to him why I won’t be the woman he ends up marrying. That I’ll always love him more than anything, but not like that.
And one day, he’ll grow up. He’ll be handsome, kind, respectful, popular (So what? We want the best for our children, don’t we?). He’ll certainly have a few crushes. Then he’ll meet the one who’ll make his stomach churn and his heart skip a beat—the one he’ll want by his side for the rest of his life, the one he’ll want to marry.
And as for me, I’ll hope to still be, at least a little bit, the woman of his life.