Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
A friend of mine and I had a good little giggle the other day when she came over and told me what her teenage son had said to her that morning.
He had given her strict instructions that she was to try and look as attractive as possible when she attended an event at his school later that night. That was amusing in itself, but what was even funnier was how the conversation between the two progressed.
It's no secret to all mothers of sons out there that as far as our boys are usually concerned we are not allowed to be attractive. In fact, the possibility of it normally sends shivers of disgust down their spines.
Until recently if you were to ask your young son how you looked before you walked out of the door you could guarantee you would not get the praise you were hoping for. At best you might get an embarrassed shoulder shrug as he looked at his feet, but it was much more likely that his reaction would be to look as if a bad smell had just attacked his nostrils.
My friend's son was no exception but as our conversation continued she told me that over the last few weeks he had spontaneously mentioned a couple times that she looked nice before she went out for dinner with friends. He'd even once told her that she looked 'very pretty' in the dress that she'd chosen.
I think it's fair to say that you could have knocked me over with a feather when she told me this. As the mother of a teenage son I'm used to being thought of as not having any sort of attractive physical qualities because I'm 'just mum'.
The very thought of a complementary comment coming out of a son's mouth puts a little lump in my throat. But, I'll come back to that in a moment.
My friend asked her son why he'd had a sudden change of heart about her looks. He simply shrugged and said: Cougar Town.
When she told me about the conversation we both practically rolled around on the floor laughing.
Cougar Town, for those of you who haven't heard of it, is a new comedy starring Courtney Cox (Monica from Friends) who stars as Jules Cobb, a divorced mother with a teenage son who has a succession of affairs with younger men. And, for the record, neither my friend, nor I, are nearly old enough to be cougars!
It seems that while the expression of 'yummy mummy' once used to describe an attractive mother may have embarrassed boys, nowadays, now that they've made a hit comedy show (starring a very beautiful woman) it's suddenly a matter of pride, not shame, to have a mother that their peers think of as 'hot'.
But, back to that lump in my throat; in itself being told that you look nice is a flattering but completely innocent comment, but coming from your own child it just seems to mean so much more than if your partner or a friend says it.
Teenagers aren't supposed to appreciate their mothers, it's just not cool - even if there's no one around to witness it - we're the ones who are supposed to be proud of our children, not the other way round. So when your child says or does something that makes you realise that they see you as a person and appreciate the good that's there it's about as emotional a moment as you're ever likely to find.
