r/softmommyGF

Looking for suggestions! I already recorded some audio for her to listen to while she tries to sleep.

The first rule she gave him was simple:

No apologizing for existing.

Which was unfortunate for him, because apologizing was basically his favorite hobby.

Tonight alone, he’d already said sorry six times.

Sorry for rambling.
Sorry for double texting.
Sorry for being needy.
Sorry for missing her call because he fell asleep after work.

By the seventh apology, she finally sighed dramatically into the phone.

“Oh, this is getting ridiculous.”

A guilty smile tugged at his lips. “Sorry.”

“Mm. Eight.”

He buried his face in his pillow while she laughed softly on the other end.

They’d been together long enough that she knew exactly where this came from. Years of making himself smaller to avoid being inconvenient. Years of thinking affection had to be earned through perfect behavior.

She hated that.

Not him.

Just the way the world had taught him to hold himself.

“Get up,” she ordered lightly.

“What?”

“Go to the mirror.”

He blinked. “Right now?”

“Yes, right now.”

Still half-confused, he carried his phone into the bathroom. The harsh light made him squint immediately.

“Okay…”

“Look at yourself.”

“I am.”

“No. Actually look.”

He hesitated.

She watched his expression shift as he focused on his reflection instead of avoiding it like usual.

“What do you see?” she asked.

“A tired guy holding a phone?”

“Wrong.”

He snorted quietly.

“I see someone who works hard,” she continued. “Someone who cares too much. Someone who worries constantly about being a burden when he’s actually one of the gentlest people I know.”

His eyes flicked away from the mirror instantly.

“Look back.”

He obeyed.

“There he is,” she murmured approvingly.

His cheeks pinked a little.

“You know what your problem is?”

“What?”

“You talk to yourself like someone who was never handled carefully.”

That one landed.

She could tell by the sudden silence.

Then she softened her tone immediately. “But we’re fixing that.”

His voice came out quieter now. “How?”

“Repetition.”

He frowned slightly.

“You hear me praise you constantly, don’t you?”

“…Yeah.”

“And eventually you started believing some of it.”

“A little.”

“A little becomes more.”

He leaned against the sink, looking at himself with an expression somewhere between embarrassment and longing.

“Now,” she said calmly, “tell me one thing you like about yourself.”

He groaned immediately. “Mommy.”

“One thing.”

“That’s evil.”

“Correct. Answer the question.”

He stared at his reflection for a long moment.

Finally:
“…I think I’m good at taking care of people.”

Her expression softened instantly.

“Yes,” she said quietly. “You are.”

Something emotional flickered across his face so fast he tried to hide it.

Too late.

“Oh, sweetheart.”

“I’m fine.”

“Mhm. That’s why you look like you’re about to cry in my bathroom.”

“Our bathroom,” he corrected automatically.

She blinked once.

Then smiled slowly.

“Our bathroom?”

Realization hit him a second too late.

His eyes widened. “I didn’t mean—”

“You did.”

His entire face turned red while she tried not to laugh too hard.

“You’re impossible,” he muttered.

“And you,” she said warmly, “are staying on that call until you say three nice things about yourself.”

“That’s torture.”

“That’s growth.”

The apartment was quiet except for the soft hum of rain against the windows.

She sat curled up on the couch in one of his hoodies, scrolling mindlessly through her phone while the weight of the week pressed against her chest. Usually, she was the steady one. The one who reminded him to drink water, who checked his sleep schedule, who teased him into smiling after hard days. But tonight, her energy was gone.

Three states away, he noticed immediately.

Her texts had shortened. No playful commands. No teasing little “good boy” messages during the day. Just exhaustion tucked between every sentence.

Long day, Mommy?

She stared at the screen for a moment before replying.

Very.

His typing bubble appeared instantly.

Camera? Please?

Normally she would have made him earn it. Tonight she simply pressed call.

The moment her face appeared on his screen, his expression softened. “You look tired.”

“I am tired,” she admitted quietly.

He adjusted his phone, settling deeper into his bed. “Then tonight you don’t have to take care of me.”

A faint smile tugged at her lips. “That’s kind of my thing, though.”

“Not tonight.”

The rain filled the silence for a few seconds.

Then he disappeared briefly off camera before returning with something she recognized instantly, the stuffed bear she had mailed him months ago after a panic attack.

“You told me once,” he said carefully, “that care goes both ways. Even in this dynamic.”

Her eyes burned unexpectedly.

He continued softly, “So… Mommy gets babied tonight.”

She laughed under her breath. “That sounds illegal.”

“I make the rules temporarily.”

“Oh, do you now?”

“A little.” His grin was nervous but determined. “Now go get your blanket.”

She rolled her eyes dramatically, but she listened.

He spent the next hour talking her through tiny things she usually ignored for herself. Water. Food. Taking off her makeup. Plugging in her phone instead of letting it die at 2%.

At one point, while she sat wrapped in blankets with damp hair and sleepy eyes, he whispered, “There she is.”

“Who?”

“My girl.”

The words hit differently when she was the one being cared for.

“You know,” he murmured, “you always make softness feel safe for me. I just wanted to give some back.”

She looked down to hide how emotional that made her.

“Hey,” he said gently.

“Hm?”

“You don’t stop being deserving of care just because you’re the dominant one.”

That silence afterward was warmer than anything either of them could have said.

Eventually, she ended up half-asleep on the couch while he rambled quietly about nonsense just to keep her company. Random facts. Dumb stories. A dramatic retelling of how he burned microwave popcorn earlier.

By the time her eyes fully closed, she heard him whisper softly through the speaker:

“Sleep well, Mommy. I’ve got you tonight.”

having a mommy has always been my deepest and most repressed desire. my mom never showed unconditional love, when i was the easy child everything was great, but as soon as my grades started dropping together with my mental health, i just became a useless mistake to her, and since then every night i dream of an older caring woman that just loves me for me, and im tired of pretending i don't. if anyone is interested please hmu, im not necesarrily looking for something serious or longterm, i just wanna experience having a mommy even just for a while. im 19 and very introverted but im a great listener and i warm up quickly if there's chemistry.

thanks for reading.

The voice message came through at 1:13 a.m.

Soft laughter in the background.
Then hers.

“Behave while I’m gone, sweetheart.”

That was all.

Usually hearing her voice settled him instantly.

Tonight it didn’t.

He replayed the message anyway, staring at the ceiling of his apartment while jealousy twisted painfully in his chest. He hated feeling like this. Hated how irrational it sounded in his own head.

But she’d been busy all week.

Shorter replies.

Later calls.

And tonight she was out with friends instead of curled in bed with him on FaceTime like usual.

His thumb hovered over the keyboard three separate times before he finally tossed his phone onto the bed beside him.

Needy.

Possessive.

Too much.

That’s what it felt like.

So instead of saying anything, he stayed quiet.

Which she noticed immediately.

His phone buzzed ten minutes later.

Mommy:
Why are you brooding?

He stared at the message.

Then another appeared.

Mommy:
You’re overthinking again, aren’t you?

Damn her for knowing him so well.

He finally typed back.

Baby:
No.

Three dots appeared instantly.

Mommy:
Liar.

Heat crawled up his neck despite being alone.

Another message.

Mommy:
Talk to me.

He sighed heavily before typing slower this time.

Baby:
I just miss you.

The typing bubble paused longer this time.

Then:
Mommy:
Oh, sweetheart.

That tenderness almost made it worse.

His phone rang before he could respond.

He answered immediately.

Her face appeared on screen under dim golden restaurant lighting. Pretty.

Relaxed. Smiling softly at him the second he picked up.

“There’s my clingy boy.”

“I’m not clingy.”

“You’re pouting.”

“I’m not pouting either.”

Her grin widened slightly. “You’re terrible at hiding your feelings.”

He looked away from the camera, embarrassed by how easily she read him.

The noise of the restaurant buzzed quietly behind her.

“You wanna know something?” she asked gently.

“What?”

“I left the table because my boy needed me.”

His chest tightened instantly.

She leaned slightly closer to the phone.

“You could’ve just told me you missed me.”

“I didn’t wanna ruin your night.”

“You wouldn’t.”

Her tone held that calm certainty he always melted for.

“You know,” she continued softly,
“sometimes I think you forget you’re allowed to need things from me too.”

He swallowed hard.

Because that was exactly it.

He worried constantly about being overwhelming. About asking for too much attention. Too much reassurance.

She must’ve seen the conflict on his face because her expression softened further.

“Look at me.”

He obeyed immediately.

“I chose you,” she said quietly. “No one is forcing me to call you from a crowded restaurant because you got jealous and sad.”

Mortification flashed across his face. “I was not jealous.”

“You absolutely were.”

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”
Unfortunately, she sounded entirely too pleased with herself.

He finally cracked a reluctant smile.

“There he is,” she murmured warmly.

Then her voice lowered slightly.

“And for the record?” She tilted her head. “You’re still the person I’d rather be in bed talking to right now.”

His face went red instantly.

She laughed softly at the reaction.

“Better?”

“A little.”

“Mhm.” Her eyes softened. “Good boy for telling me the truth eventually.”
And just like that, the jealousy loosened its grip around his ribs.

Not because she scolded him for feeling it.

But because she made him feel safe enough to admit it.