Mothers everywhere know there is a special bond between herself and her children, all her children. However, the love between a mother and son is a unique, different kind of bond.
But, can that bond be so strong that it becomes detrimental to the son and his evolution into a man? Author, pastor, father of two, and reformed "mama's boy" Glenn Brooks Jr. thinks so.
Mr. Brooks has penned a new book, "How To Raise A Man ... not a Momma's Boy!" to help mothers (and fathers), who are often uninformed and overwhelmed, understand the damage that can be done to young boys by aligning them too closely with their mothers.
He believes that by growing up with mostly female role models he himself learned to process things like an woman (based on emotion) and not like a man (based on logic). He believes this upbringing was detrimental to him and wrote this book to help mothers who do not understand the damage they could be doing to their sons just by loving them "too" much.
In an email interview for this article, Mr. Brooks answered some key questions many people (especially mothers) may have regarding this subject, including his opinions on who a "mama's boy" really is and why being a "mama's boy" is a bad thing. He wrote in the email interview:
"My definition of a Momma's Boy is a boy who emotionally thinks, responds and sometimes behaves like a female. My experience has taught me that this kind of behavior leads to young boys growing up to become overly sensitive men, who in many cases find there significance in women. The key word here is 'emotional'. Men typically are logical thinkers. We are cause and effect driven not emotional driven. I, on the other hand, grew up as a very passive, talkative boy, who'd rather talk about you behind your back rather then confront you. This later lead to me becoming a petty dude, who would rather blame than accept responsibility for my actions. So when asked the question what's wrong that, the answer is simple, as a young boy, I was never taught how to emotionally process like a man."
Mr. Brooks goes on to say in the email interview that he believes there are more "mama's boys" now then in the past, particularly because women are too often left to do the heavy lifting of parenthood by themselves without the assistance and insight from men. It is his hope that his book gives voice to the millions of boys who are growing up now too closely intertwined with their mothers.
He also wants to encourage mothers to loosen the grip they have on their sons and seek out positive male role models for the benefit of both their sons and daughters. Children cannot be raised in a vacuum and he wants mothers everywhere to lighten their load and get some help.
Sources:
Emailed interview. 8 April 2012. Glenn Brooks Jr. and Maria Smith.
Facebook.com. 9 April 2012. Web. "Momma's boy the book".
https://www.facebook.com/mommasboythebook
Mommasboy.org. 9 April 2012. Web. "Home".
http://www.mommasboy.org
Reviewed April 9, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith