The Daily Word for June 17, 2021

 

momism - noun - 1. domination by one's mother or 2. excessive attachment to one's mother

Re. denotation number 1: I don't know about you, but I will never quite understand the concept of momism. Why some mothers on the planet are excessively attached to or controlling of their children, I have no idea. I have one daughter who is now thirty, and I've never tried to dominate her, not even in thumb wrestling. Okay, maybe thumb wrestling. Conversely, she has probably been more of a momism to me simply because her soul is older than mine is and sometimes will intervene to keep my immature one in check. I will never be able to act my age. I think that's a good thing, personally. But I digress. 

Re: denotation number 2: During the heat of the pandemic, I decided to read Sophocles's "Oedipus Rex" for no other reason than it was occupying shelf space in my spare bedroom, and I was bored. If you didn't read the play in high school, I'll give you a quick one-sentence synopsis: Oedipus, the king of Thebes (in Ancient Greece), unknowingly marries his mother, and eventually the incestuous situation causes both parties much grief. In psychology, the Oedipal complex involves the second definition of momism: a son's inability to break the apron strings connecting him to his mother. Unfortunately, I have dated or just known many men who have preternatural attachments to their mothers, and they are usually not fun since they tend to expect you to rise to meet the summit on which their mothers dwell. Seriously? Who wants to scale a mountain in order to meet and then compete with Mom? Not me. Nope.

My advice to all single women out there: if you meet a man who gets emotional at the mere thought of his living or deceased mother, turn and run for the nearest exit. You'll be happy you did. 

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