Girl Mom Describes Icky Mom Attachments To Little Boys
Carter Sullivan A mom didn't hold back when talking about the unhealthy relationships mothers can sometimes form with their sons. In a TikTok video, Margaret Greco, a mom to her young daughter, Vienna, pointed out that there are differences between mothers raising daughters versus mothers raising sons.
Greco claimed that many moms have a 'sickening mom attachment' to little boys.
The mom-of-one explained that while she was growing up, she constantly heard that boys were meant to be raised to leave the nest and go have a family of their own, while girls were encouraged to stay close to home.
"Right now we've got this really sickening mom attachment to little boys," Greco began in her video. She explained that out of the very few mom friends she has who are parents to boys, she only approves of one of their parenting styles.
She acknowledged that she likes these women, but when it comes down to how they raise their boys, Greco noticed that it is quite problematic. "I see it in my neighborhood too. A lot of women are overly catering, they are treating their sons like boyfriends, they are treating their sons like secondary husbands."
Greco continued, saying that it's no wonder when these little boys grow up and become teenagers, they see themselves as adults and want to do adult-centered things because when they were younger their mothers were treating them as such.
"Men need to fly the coop, not that you don't love them but I do think there is a larger disconnect because men need to fly the f--k away," she insisted. "If men don't fly away there is a really close connection and it causes a lot of problems, and that is where you have the, 'I don't like my mother-in-law' narrative."
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Usually, Greco said, that narrative only happens because their mothers are still acting as if they are their wives. When a man's parents are more disconnected and give their son room to be his own person, his partner can be his wife instead of his mother.
"Narratives aside, we have stopped pretending that once you get married you're now your own family. You're no longer your mother's and your father's family, you're your own," Greco remarked. "And both sets of grandparents, they're just there for fun. Neither one should be that close all the time."
Mothers having close attachments to their sons can have serious repercussions when they become adults.
The term enmeshment or "emotional incest" often refers to the toxic attachment that some mothers will have with their sons. As Greco mentioned in her video, it occurs when a mother becomes overly involved in her son's life, often blurring boundaries and creating a codependent relationship.
According to a study done by Dee Hann-Morrison, when a mother doesn't feel like she is getting the emotional support she needs from her spouse, she will turn to her son for that instead, which can have repercussions as a young boy grows up and becomes an adult.
Sons who were heavily reliant on their mothers for emotional support may struggle with self-reliance and independence. They may struggle to make decisions, set boundaries, and navigate adult responsibilities.
Related Stories From YourTango:On top of that, this type of codependent relationship between a mother and son can hinder a young man's ability to form healthy and balanced relationships in the future. He may struggle with establishing appropriate emotional boundaries, experience difficulties with trust, and have challenges in maintaining healthy intimacy with a partner.
As Greco explained in her video, it's important that as children grow older, they form lives separate from their parents. It doesn't mean that mothers and sons can't be close, but it shouldn't be a codependent dynamic.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.
