Little Oedipus

A man who has been the indisputable

favorite of his mother

keeps for life the feeling of a conqueror.

Sigmund Freud

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We now know that Freud was a freak. All that psycho-sexual personality theory is quite, well-titillating & a whole lot disturbing. Labeling friends, family, and acquaintances as orally fixated or anally retentive really makes for great party fodder. And certainly every sophomore worth his salt is familiar with the Myth of Oedipus (aka-Freud’s Oedipal Complex). You know-the son who was fated to murder his father & marry his mother? Yeah, that’s the one. Who wouldn’t want to know how that story turns out???

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But I’m beginning to have my doubts about Freud’s doubters. After spending the summer with my 6 yr old, maybe Freud was on to something. For instance, while R is at work, Noah insists on eating his meals in the “daddy chair”-not his own little chair of lowly stature in the power-dinner circle. Now if that isn’t a case of the cub pushing the lion out of the pride-then what is??? Getting tucked in at night? Only mom will do for this intimate tete-a tete-dad has been ousted to the cold, lonely bench. While washing dishes, & minding my business I might add, I suddenly feel little wandering paws caressing my backside followed by snake arms hugging my middle and pulling me in for a tight hug. And the other day when we were playing in the pool, he says to me, “Mom, let’s just float into the sunset.” And as I look into those big, romantic, brown eyes, I just thank the Lord for Freud & little boys.