Your Mind Your Body

I was shocked at how many of my fellow mom friends were first in line when New Moon came out last week.  They elbowed and butted their way in front of teenage girls to be first in line to see Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner on the big screen.  One of my friends confessed that after seeing the movie she was so caught up in a haze of romantic fantasies involving Mr. Pattinson that she could hardly focus on her day to day activities (which included not only raising two young boys, but also being a full time physician and wife).    

Another friend of mine is so obsessed with Chris Martin (the lead singer for the band Coldplay) that she took it as a personal insult when allegations arose that he kissed Kate Bosworth.  And it wasn’t that this mom of three, and prominent attorney was angered at the possibility that Mr. Martin had cheated on his wife Gwyneth Paltrow – it was that he hadn’t cheated with her!

And in the interest of fairness and full disclosure – I myself have a celebrity crush: the singer/guitar player/heart-breaker John Mayer.  Mr. Mayer has a terrible reputation with women and has a childish sense of humor (note high number of twitter posts containing bathroom and bodily function humor); yet I am so taken with him that I confessed my crush for all the world to read in the most recent issue of Parenting Magazine!

So what makes us moms (and maybe grandmothers and great-grandmothers?) fall so hard for these celebrities we will never meet?

• Being in “love” feels good. Who doesn’t remember those first romantic, care-free days of new love?  It feels exhilarating.  While long-lasting, committed and loving relationships might be good for our physical and emotional health, a burst of celebrity infatuation every once in a while might be pretty good for us too.
• Fantasy is a good way to relieve stress.  We all know that we are supposed to meditate and practice yoga to relieve stress.  Well why not engage in some fantasy too?  A few moments of day dreaming will surely help us manage our real life stresses more effectively.
• Just one more way to stay young at heart.  Researchers tell us that staying young at heart is an important factor in longevity.  What better way to do this than to re-connect with our inner teenager by “falling in love” with Hollywood’s latest hottie.
• It might spice up your real-life relationship.  Thousands of books and articles have been written about how couples can keep the excitement and passion alive in their relationships.  Some even suggest role-playing.  So who knows?  Maybe our fantasies should be shared.

So be proud of your crushes! And know that engaging in those fantasies might be doing more for your mental health than you thought!

Filed under: Parenting, Relationships, Stress, Uncategorized, Women