It's In The Genes

I was on my way to the grocery store for a late night treat the first time I heard Blake Shelton sing The Baby. By the time it finished tears were streaming down my face. It took several minutes for me to compose myself enough to even think about getting out of the car. When I got home I told my husband I had just heard a song about myself and our son. The next morning I received an email from my son from his job in the Air Force asking me if I had heard a song called The Baby yet and if so, did it remind me of anyone. Indeed it did! My son and I are the babies of our families, but it was much more than that which made this song so special.
Blake’s song tells of a mother proud of all her children, but with a special attachment to the slightly spoiled and slightly crazy baby. He is a gypsy of sorts as he goes from job to job, city to city looking for his place in life. All of that, with variations of course, describes my son and me to a tee. It also describes the special bond we share as mother and son. For me there is the added saddest as he races to his mother’s death bed, but doesn’t make it in time to say good-bye. I lost my mother when I was twelve. Though I saw her in the hospital after her massive stroke, she didn’t know me—I never got to really say good-bye.
I never hear this song that it doesn’t make me cry, because of its plaintive beauty and the special connection I feel to its lyrics. Since first hearing it I tell most people that if they want to know my son and I, listen to The Baby.