My Mom-crushes

No, I'm not talking about men I find attractive now that I've become a mom.  I'm talking about sweet, upstanding guys that I want my son to grow up to be like.  My mom-crushes.

I'm sure other parents do this.  You see someone, maybe a fictional character on television, an altruistic public figure, one of the last upstanding professional atheletes, or just a really nice kid who works at the mall, and you think, "Man, I hope my kid grows up to be like that."

While obviously we don't want our kid to be exactly like anyone else, there are definitely qualities we admire in other people's offspring, qualities we aspire to endow in our children.

Now, I am a huge Gleek (fan of the show "Glee", for the uninformed), and there are tons of things I love about it:  the songs, the storylines, the positive messages.  But I think a lot of the appeal in it, for me, is that it's filled with so many mom-crushworthy guys.

Finn Hudson.  The show's main protagonist.  High school quarterback, star soloist, and possibly the nicest guy in existence.  Sacrificed his popularity to stand up for his fellow Glee Clubbers (including his openly gay stepbrother, Kurt).  Adorably naive.  When his girlfriend got knocked up by his best friend, she convinced Finn that he fathered the child via hot tub.  Once carried a grilled cheese sandwich around for a week because he thought he saw the face of Jesus in it.  (Called it a Grilled Cheezus.)  Has a strong sense of morality and ethics.  Hopeless romantic.

Drawbacks:  Not just naive, but a total moron.  When on-again/off-again love interest Rachel Berry criticizes him, he normally just infers from her tone that she's mad, since he can't comprehend her large vocabulary.  Once walked around school in his tightie-whities to prepare for his role as Brad Majors in "Rocky Horror Picture Show".  Was confused when he got called into the principal's office for it.

Noah "Puck" Puckerman.  A much better person than he realizes himself to be, Puck is the bad boy of the Glee Club.  Supremely self-confident, he knows and fully embraces who he is, even being unashamedly in love with an unpopular very large (300+ pounds) girl.  He also learns from his mistakes, refusing to cheat with Finn's second girlfriend when she approaches him.

Despite being the self-professed bad boy, he does his best to protect his own.  The son of a deadbeat dad, Puck steps up to the plate when he finds out he has fathered a child, accepting and taking on all responsibilites.  (He is even obviously sad when the mother decides to give the little girl, who he named "Beth" after the KISS ballad, up for adoption.)

Drawbacks:  Really is a bad boy.  Insanely promiscuous.  Sells drugs.  Went to juvie after crashing his mom's car into a gas station to steal the ATM.  Is also nearly as dumb as Finn.

Blaine Anderson.  Somehow makes being an openly gay acapella soloist at an all-boys private school look really cool.  Amazing singer.  Beyond charming.  Oozes self-confidence, but still manages to come across as very young and innocent.  (Best example:  He serenades his crush on Valentine's Day...in front of a store full of customers while the guy is working at The Gap.)  Noble to a degree that doesn't seem possible in modern society.  When Kurt transfers to Dalton Academy, Blaine takes him under his wing with no ulterior motive.  When concerned about Kurt's wellbeing, Blaine comes directly to Kurt's father (best tv dad ever, Burt) to ask him to talk to his son.  The situation makes them both uncomfortable, but Burt admires Blaine for his directness.  I could go on and on, but seriously, just watch the show.  Blaine is amazing.

Drawbacks:  Can be really clueless.  That guys he serenaded in The Gap?  They'd gotten coffee once, and the guy had bailed when he realized Blaine was too young for him.  Despite Kurt's obvious fawning over him, had no idea that Kurt was romantically interested.  After a drunken game of spin-the-bottle, mistakenly believes he may be bisexual.  Turns out to be hilariously wrong.  Also, gay.  I would never want my son to be gay, not because I have any issues with gay/lesbian/bi/transgendered/etc. people, but because I don't want my son's life to be that difficult.

So, what do I want my son to be?  I guess sweet and goodhearted like Finn, self-aware and fearless like Puck, and noble and intelligent like Blaine.  However my kid turns out, it gives me an awesome excuse to keep obsessing over "Glee" on a weekly basis.