Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Can Mom be a Babe?

When your son asks if he can call you "Babe" -- as in, "Hey, babe," -- several lines of thought race through your mind.

You can plead to yourself: Please, please, please, I don't want to raise a Shia LaBeouf, who last month made waves by saying: “If I could meet my mother and marry her, I would. I would be with my mother now, if she weren’t my mother, as sick as that sounds." (Shia, you can call your mother beautiful without EVER going that far. It is sick.)

You can realize he hears his dad calling you babe and be happy with the fact that he recognizes terms of endearment (and genuine affection) in his parents' relationship.

Or you can giggle and ask (because your son is an innocent four years old), "I prefer Mommy, but why do you want to call me babe?"

"Because I love you," he says.

OK, I tell him. That seems like a good reason.

11 comments:

Frankie said...

MILFs rule

Mary said...

Of course. Being a babe is a good thing.

Anonymous said...

Coming from a 4 year old, it's innocent. Just be careful on allowing it to continue. Children need to continue to recognize the difference in the parent-child relationship. My 6 year old boy called me "dude" the other day. I know it was in fun, because the boys in school call each other that. I just reminded him that I'm his dad, not his "dude". We laughed and moved on.

Anonymous said...

When your kids grow up and don't show any respect to adults, you'll have your answer.

Anonymous said...

Narciscistic, incestuous, and perverted are just a few words that came to mind when I read this. You're child is a reflection of yourself and if you have him call you a sexually-charged name like 'babe' then YOU have real issues and maybe your self-esteem is at rock bottom for a good reason.

Anonymous said...

OMG - this is to the person that left the Narcisicistic, incestuous comment. My goodness - you MUST be a holy roller with way a ton of bitterness in your soul. Good grief - relax and stop taking so many of those crazy pills. People like you scare me.

Anonymous said...

Mom can be a 'babe' but it's the height of disrespect to actually call her a babe. The fact that this isn't obvious to everyone is a keen (and pathetic) commentary on our culture.

I suspect that this has it's origins in the 'parents are your friends' method of parenting... where parents intentionally walk away from the disciplining of their children because the parents often lack any sense of discipline themselves. Just flip through any of the Super Nanny shows for examples.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, OMG. The comment on the dangers of erasing the boundary between sexually-charged admiration and parent-child respect is somewhat grounded in current psychological conventional wisdom. I don't think religious predilection has anything to do with that view. Very dangerous ground to tread.

Anonymous said...

I think you people are reading too much into it. It sounds like the boy heard daddy calling mommy "babe" and wanted to do it too. Armchair Psychologists need not apply.

Anonymous said...

'out of the mouths of babes' comes to my mind while enjoying reading this blog and all the comments!

This 'new' mom with a four year old trying out words and asking her about them; she surely is a 'babe' I smile and think to myself! It is just beginning for her!
All those words they will say to her, looking to her for permission to say, or guidance with explanations and even giggles as they say various words thinking they are funny ! Whether it is from listening to daddy, mommy or so many other's they listen to and hear, I think now is a perfect time to begin with definitions and meanings. Improving their vocab :)at a four year old level.

Try looking up 'babes' in a bible concordance and read all the verses using the word 'babe(s)'
Why is the word creating such a stir I wonder?
Let's see, the son asks if he can call his mother 'babe' (he is 4 years old).
I would suggest! a little word game, saying to the four year old something like this....BABE you want to call me BABE, do you know what that word means?
Let's go find out some of the meanings of this word first; as words have many meanings when people say them or use them. Then you can pick the one you mean and we will decide, OK.
Surely at four years old the child is listening and ready to learn about various words and their meanings.
Children love to play with words they hear being said around them, repeating and saying to other's in a mis-pronouncing way even. So amusing at times to listen to their stories and the way they hear the grownups around them using various words.
Since this particular four year old has a mother working in the business of words or editing, a little word lesson game I think would be fun for both of them.
And it also seems to me with all the lingo lango in today's world (along with initials, abbreviations or new multiple meanings) a very good idea.
It is just beginning I smile and remember for this 'babe' mommy with her four year old and words and name calling! Lots of years are ahead with teaching and learning about words!!!! When to say, when not to say or name calling too.
I would also enjoy this brief stage the son is going thru with mimicking Dad's pet names for mommy; as soon mommy will hear about a little girlfriend. That is a sweet innocent time also right around the corner or any day now!
Watching mommy and daddy for sure the children do with listening and hearing and REPEATING!!!!! Parents BEWARE :)!!!

Anonymous said...

BABE RUTH!!!!
If 'BABE' MOMMY ROBERTS and her son research the word 'BABE' I think the story of BABE RUTH would be interesting for a little boy to hear about!
At 19, I believe the age was, BABE RUTH became the nickname for George Herman Ruth Jr. one of the greatest baseball sports heroes ever! He was just considered a youngster at the time of the nicknaming...
Then I think the facts about BABE RUTH's all time record for 39 years of 714 home runs until HANK AARON hit his 715th home run I believe in 1974 would be very interesting too, for 'BABE' Alicia's son!
Kinda fun to read about words and their meanings and find other interesting things to share!
BABE RUTH AND BASEBALL just one of the interesting things.
BABE is also a children's movie I believe, a story maybe about a pig wanting to be a sheep dog? (not sure on that one since I havent' seen it)
BABE seems to me to be a pretty positive word when I think of BABE RUTH or 'SWEET' too if baby ruth candy bars are named after babe ruth? What ya think?
'BABE' MOMMY ROBERTS? :)
with her sweet four year old son!