The Mom Switch

I believe there is a "Mom Switch" located somewhere in the brain of all young boys, a switch that when placed in the on position, enables these growing children to love their mothers unconditionally.

In the early years, a young boy's mother is his everything. She represents beauty, warmth, shelter and love. Her female energy gives her a kind of magical superwoman power in the eyes of her adoring son.

But as her child starts to grow, there is a time in each boy's life when his Mom Switch is abruptly clicked off. Mom's female energy is now embarrassing and unwelcome. She is annoying, nagging and old. The family leadership baton is passed to Dad as he assumes the position of the infallible figurehead and new household champion.

Exiting mother goes from super hero to super hopeless with the sudden flick of a switch.

Weston's Mom Switch flicked early, but dear loving Nicholas seemed to be missing the mother reject button and I thought, just maybe, I was going to get lucky. Perhaps some of Nick's missing genes included a missing Mom Switch. I basked in the sunshine of his stuck button and unconditional love for the past 11 years.

But alas, it was wishful thinking and all good things must come to an end.

Today, I was startled by the very loud SNAP of Nick's Mom Switch turning undeniable off.

It was morning and I was making coffee and toasting an English muffin. Nicholas was in his usual place beside me, helping me pour the water into our Mr. Coffee machine.

"POP" went the muffin as it jumped out of its slot in the toaster.

I grabbed the golden brown muffin and dropped it quickly to the counter.

"Ouch, that's hot," I said to no one in particular.

Well-versed in the smart aleck language of his older brother, the budding new mother repeller replied with a sarcastic tone,

"Well, yeah Mom! It came out of the toaster, duh!"

I froze for a few seconds, stunned by my son's new found ability to zing his poor mother.

Yes, mild mannered Nicholas has learned the art of smart assness.

I thought about the mental skill required to effectively needle a person and realized that perhaps Nick's recent neuropsychology test failed to accurately measure this skill.

While I am sad to have lost the only Mom supporter in the family, I realize that like Weston, dear hearted Nicholas is on his way to becoming a young man.

I hope my self esteem survives.

Do you think our dog, Muffy has a Mom Switch?

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Lisa Peters writes about family life at www.onalfelessperfect.blogspot.com.
If you would like to learn more about Prader Willi Syndrome, please visit our national organization at www.pwsausa.org.
Thank you for reading.