Mum misses teenage son, knits a new one

IT’S said the hardest part of parenting is letting go. So this mum came up with a rather unusual plan to keep the cuddles coming.

Supplied Mother knits a cuddly knitted version of her son. Picture: www.clubgeluk.nl

IT’S been said that the hardest part of parenting is letting go of your kids. I’ve heard it a lot lately when kind people pat me on the back and pass platitudes as I stare out in mid distance at the space my son used to occupy before he entered his teens.

The thing is it’s hard being a helicopter mum and suddenly realising you aren’t in control of the flight path your child is taking anymore.

Your young offspring is growing up and away and, despite your over protective instinct, he is able to make decisions and look after himself without his mum at his side every step of the way.

It’s part of normal teenage development, adolescents want to hang out with their friends. Parents, as role models and number one fans, become second to the kids in “squad” leaving some mums and dads with empty arms and often, an aching heart.

It’s a tough pill to swallow after all those years of staying awake, doing thousands of loads of laundry, making endless meals and packing approximately a million sandwiches for school. But it happens to the best of us.

Just ask Marieke Voorsluijs, a mum who submitted her crafty plan to hold onto her kids to Bored Panda.

“My son is reaching puberty” she writes. “We used to cuddle all the time, but those days are becoming scarce. Now he’d rather hangs with friends, plays with his phone and listens to his iPod. Exactly according to nature’s plan. I am a good mother, so of course I accept this and I am happy he is a healthy kid.”

She willingly acknowledges the gap between her own need to smother her son with love and affection and his need to grow up and forge a life without her. But acknowledging the right thing to do does not help with her urge to cuddle him and spend more time hanging out with him. So she did what any creative genius who works in textiles would do — she knitted a replica of her son. With his help of course.

The knitted son is actually a suit that includes a knitted head wearing a cap, hands (complete with nails and a watch — probably stuck on some time when he was much younger) pants, a sweater with requisite teenage rebellion slogan, sneakers and, of course, an iPod.

Given that the suit requires that someone actually wear it Marieke acknowledges the irony of the situation and calls the suit a tribute to puberty and her son.

I’m pretty sure she’s not actually going to be sharing popcorn with Knitted Son at the movies or talking to him over breakfast anytime soon. At least I hope not. But I am quite certain that knitting a giant boy suit together with her son brought her some kind of closure and comfort — and of course, she got to hang out with her breathing son during the project so maybe that’s what it is all about.

As for me, let’s just say that I am spending a lot of time with my dog lately. He never talks back and when the inevitable happens and one day he leaves us, I always have the taxidermy option. I’m not a very good knitter.

Lana Hirschowitz is a blogger, writer and reforming toast lover. You can follow her on Facebook.