Throughout centuries, Korean parents have been telling the stories of Mom’s Friend’s Son, MFS,¹ a mystical creature from Korean parenting lore who ALWAYS does EVERYTHING right.
Also known as “son I’d like to have,” Mom’s Friend’s Son possesses powers and achievements beyond belief but NOT beyond comparison.
Telling remarkable achievements of MFS to children is one of the oldest traditions in Korea and is used to teach children ABC, Always Be Competing.
History
Literature
The earliest mention of MFS appears in a 5th-century poem, ‘Mother’s Sacrifice Goes Unnoticed Like an Orchid Flower to a Boar’.
In the poem, a mother/poet tells her son about the adventure of Mrs. Park’s son, who goes through an epic journey to bring anti-aging herbs to his mother.
Cave Painting
A recent discovery of the Ulju cave painting in Jeolla province hints at the earlier history of MFS in Korea.
In the image, two figures stand together, with a bigger figure pointing at a hunter chasing whales as if to say, ‘I wish HE were my son’.
Characteristics
Apart from their defining quality of never doing anything wrong, other characteristics of MFS include,
- fantastic hearing — never has to be told twice
- prodigious memory — never forgets the sacrifice parents made
- blind ambition — for their parent’s dream
- good posture
Theories
MFS’s enduring power over Korean culture prompted several theories regarding its true identities and powers.
Ultimate Mom’s Friend’s Son Theory
Also known as ‘MFS-all-the-way-down,’ the UMFS theory claims every MFS has an MFS of its own, all leading to the Ultimate Mom’s Friend’s Son, who would rule the hearts of all Korean mothers.
The proponents of the theory claim that the government is keeping UMFS’s existence secret, fearing a mass exodus of moms in search of UMFS. It has also been claimed that UMFS has powers of
- knowing what mother wants by scent
- eating an infinite amount of mother’s food without getting full
- not losing patience when helping parents with technology
Momfia
Momfia theorists claim that there’s a shadowy organization of moms controlling the narrative of MFS.
Momfia supposedly releases an updated version of MFS regularly to reflect the change in the most prestigious schools, the most stable jobs, and the acceptable waiting period for grandkids.
While the theory presents no supporting evidence, nor has any witness come forward so far, there were multiple reports of a journalist investigating Momfia being found fed to death.
¹MFD for Mom’s Friend’s daughter, but the term can refer to both genders.