The love between a 36-year-old mother and her 19-year-old son is so strong that they are ready and committed to doing anything to make their relationship successful, even if that implies going against the law to try and make the relationship legal. In case they do not succeed, they will both be charged with an 18-month prison sentence on the grounds of incest. While waiting for the outcome, they decided to raise awareness of Genetic Sexual Attraction (GSA) relationships by publicly exposing their love affair.
But what exactly is a GSA relationship? It’s the attraction between close relatives (siblings, half-siblings, first or second cousins) who first meet as adults and fall in love. And according to Metro.co.uk, that’s exactly what happened to Monica Mares and Caleb Peterson. She was 16 years old when she gave birth to him and gave him up for adoption. They reconnected when he was 18 years old last Christmas after getting in touch over Facebook.
Soon after, their relationship became intimate. Mares told the Daily Mail that their relationship began as mother and son, but then she started getting ‘crazy feelings.’ When she first told him, she was scared of what his reaction would be, but he took the news well.
We talked about it, and we took off to the park. I said, ‘Would you ever date your mom?’ And he said: ‘Would you ever date your son? And I said, ‘Honest truth, yes I would,’ she told the Daily Mail.
Because of the trial, Mares is not allowed to see any of her children, including Peterson, yet she believes it has all been worth it. ‘If they lock me up for love, then they lock me up. There is no way anybody could pull us apart, and I really do love him,’ she told Heavy.com.
‘I never thought I was crazy for having these feelings because I didn’t see her as my mom,’ Peterson told Kansas City. ‘It was more like going to a club and meeting a random person. It didn’t feel wrong; it felt normal.’ They never thought they would get into trouble for the relationship. ‘We were both consenting adults ⎯ when it comes down to it.’
Despite all the hate they’ve received since they went public with their affair, Mares and Peterson are supported by their family and community, including Dayto Chavez, Mares’ ex and father to two of her sons, Joseph, 12, and Moses, 9.
