Mother - Mona (41)

Daughter - Amy (21)

Pine Beach, New Jersey

Baby Momma

Mona feels like Amy is her forever "baby" despite Amy being 21-years-old. She had Amy when she was 19-years-old and says that she and Amy "grew up together.” From the time that Amy was very young, their attachment and bond were the main focus of their lives and still is to this day. It is a co-dependent relationship beyond any other mother/daughter relationship they’ve encountered. When Mona looks into the future, she sees herself growing old with Amy and believes they should be living together forever since Amy has been the constant in her life throughout all of her hardships. Although Mona has another daughter, Alyssa, who is 9 years old, Amy is the one who is still treated like a baby.  

Amy calls Mona "momma" and Mona calls Amy "baby" and "baba.” Sometimes Mona even switches roles telling Amy she is her “momma.” They love to "baby talk" to each other and “coo” in each other's ears. Mona will ask Amy "Am I your momma?" and when Amy responds "yes, you're my momma", Mona feels relieved. Physical touch and affection are an important part of their close bond and they love to kiss each other on the lips and cuddle each other whenever they can. When they go to the supermarket, Amy and Mona will hold hands as they stroll through the aisles. People who see this assume they are dating but when they found out they are actually mother and daughter they get weirded out. Getting ready for bed is one of their favorite rituals and it begins with Amy calling for "momma" to have Mona tuck her "baby" into bed. Mona will make sure her "baby" is cozy and warm and the two will kiss goodnight. Even after Amy is tucked in for the night, Amy will call for "momma" until Mona tells "baby" it's time to go to sleep. To add to the “baby” rituals even more they will feed each other dinner and eat off of the same fork. They will share a cup if they want something to drink, passing it back and forth so each of them can take a sip. This bizarre situation hasn’t been easy for their significant others to accept.

Mona has been attracted to men for the majority of her life, but when she met Jeannette all bets were off. It was, “love at first sight” as they say. Mona and Jeanette have been dating for three years and Jeanette is planning to propose (shhhh don’t tell Mona… it’s a secret!) but fears that Mona will always pick Amy over their relationship. Even after spending the last three years together, Jeanette is having a hard time finding her place as not only a girlfriend but soon-to-be stepmother. While Jeanette is in it for the long haul she feels like she will never be the focus of Mona's life because of Amy and how much Mona babies and puts her first. Jeanette feels like she is ignored by Mona when Amy is around and sees their "babying" relationship as just plain old strange. Jeanette will often sleep on the couch because Amy refuses to leave her mother's bed and Mona doesn’t seem to mind. One of the reasons Jeanette fell in love with Mona was because of her focus on the family so she tries her best to understand their unique relationship, but it proves to be difficult time and time again. Jeanette has never had a close connection with her own family and desperately wants to be a part of Amy and Mona's life but at the end of the day, she isn't sure that she will ever be fully accepted. 

As for Amy, she has been dating her boyfriend, Dylan, for four years and it's no secret that Mona doesn't like Dylan. Amy feels like Mona will often give her ultimatums that it's either "her or Dylan" and Amy is constantly left to choose between her mom and boyfriend. Mona will guilt Amy about the time she spends out of the house, especially if she is with Dylan. Mona has gone as far as to "ban" Dylan from coming to their house because she doesn’t feel that he is respectful towards her. When Dylan comes to pick Amy up to spend time together, he has to pick Amy up two blocks away from the house so that he and Mona don't cross paths. One of Dylan's biggest laments is that he doesn't get enough time with Amy. On average, he says that he gets to see her for about an hour a day, and when they are together, Mona is constantly texting and calling Amy which interrupts their time together as a couple. Dylan gets frustrated because Amy will leave at a moment's notice to go home to be with her mom even though he is desperate to keep his relationship with Amy alive and needs time with her as well. Amy and Dylan tried living together for a while, but Amy missed living with her mom so much she decided to move back in. The friction between the three of them has only increased since Amy’s move.

Amy struggles with wanting to have a meaningful and long-lasting relationship with Dylan but also wanting to live with her mom forever. Amy and Mona dream of being able to live together forever, even trying to find a house with a big basement that Amy can turn into living quarters for her mom. Dylan isn't ready to propose to Amy but he knows that she is "the one,” although he worries that their relationship will never be able to get to the "next level" because of Mona. He isn’t sure what to do. Amy and Dylan both agree that marriage and children are in their future, but Mona thinks that Amy isn't ready to start on that journey with anyone... especially with Dylan.

The road ahead for Amy and Mona is unclear because their relationship "soothes" them. It's hard for them to leave the comfort of their relationship and create space for other people in their lives. While each of them understands how their relationship can get in the way of either of them having a successful and fulfilling romantic relationship, neither is willing to change their relationship in order to "have it all."  In an ideal world, each of them wants to continue on with their relationship and be "momma and baby" forever.