Is it just ME?

Or are you a slave to your teen too?

LAST week perfumier Jo Malone committed the cardinal sin of mothers everywhere. She indulged in a PDA — a public display of affection — towards her teenage son.

And not just any PDA. She admitted she makes her 17-year-old son Josh’s bed — and sprays it with scent.

Don’t get me wrong: I think that’s lovely. Especially since 17- year- old boys aren’t the most fragrant creatures on the planet.

But poor Josh. It’s hard enough being a 17-year-old boy — bum fluff, spots, tragic dress sense — without having your mum telling everyone she makes your bed and sprays it with roses.

In fairness to her, I do understand. We mums have to stick together, especially in the face of teenage rejection. Especially when it comes to our boys who, generally, indulge our affections longer than girls.

My daughter — 15 today — hasn’t allowed me to give her a hug, let alone a kiss, since she was about 11.

My son, by contrast, is still happy to acknowledge me.

He may be 13, but he still says hello when he comes home after school (instead of stomping upstairs), eats the food I cook him (instead of insisting I make something different and then eating prawn cocktail crisps instead), and comes to the park with me and the dogs.

But I know it won’t last. One day soon he will wake up and realise that I am social Anthrax, and then there’ll be no more snuggling up in front of a movie. He will be in full ‘get off me, Mum’ mode, and I will have to survive on what little crumbs of affection he feeds me.

That’s when making a child’s bed becomes more about maintaining that parental connection, prolonging it for as long as possible. And as for the fragrance — that’s just mummy’s calling card.

We mums have to stick together, especially in the face of teenage rejection