Before I go into detail here, I want to share something with you all, dear readers. This is the Italian adaptation of the famous children’s song The Itsy Bitsy Spider.
Whisky il ragnetto che sale la montagna
la pioggia lo bagna
e Whisky cade giù, giù, giù!
Ma esce un bel sole
e Whisky si è asciugato
risale la montagna e va sempre più sù, sù, sù!
In cima alla montagna c’era una casetta
con dentro una streghetta
che se lo vuol mangiar, gnam, gnam!
Ma Whisky è molto furbo
riscende la montagna
ritorna dalla mamma
e non la lascia più, più, più.
Creative Commons credit: The Itsy Bitsy Spider
So I realize that most of you probably don’t know what that translates to. Let me enlighten you here.
Basically it begins just like our version, with the spider (Whisky) climbing a mountain until the rain deters him. When it does he goes back home until the sun comes out and dries everything up. He then attempts the mountain again and when he finally reaches the top he finds a little house with a witch inside; strange no?
That, however, is not even the best part. No, little Whisky goes running back down the mountain to return to the safety of his mommy and never go out again (again, again)!
What?
It all makes perfect sense! Maybe you have heard of this phenomenon in Italy? Where the men live at home until they are 35 years old and have an unhealthily, needy relationship with their mothers?
Mama’s Boy (credit: AirBeagle)
In Italy, it is common that children (although it somehow appears to be mostly men) live at home until they are completely graduated from University with a well-paying job, a high balance in the bank account and a wife. Believe it or not, even with the famous Italian Stallion status, it can still take years.
All jokes aside, the fact that Italians stay at home until they are a stable is both smart and admirable. Men save money so that they can buy houses without falling into debt and support their families.
The problem?
The Mama’s Boy image that comes with it; and is all too often the result is not sexy. It could be the Italian Mama’s fault, never wanting to let her little boy go… but maybe that’s a story for another post…
Is any other culture out there full of Mama’s Boys?
