有人給mama's boy下這個定義："A sissy, especially a boy or man excessively attached to his mother."娘娘腔的、柔弱的男孩，離不開娘的孩子，或沒有男子氣概的男人，即廣東俗語的“裙腳仔”；例如︰The children called Peter a mama's boy because he ran home with every little problem.(彼德雞毛蒜皮的事情都找媽媽，孩子們都叫他做“裙腳仔”。)這當然是一個pejorative(貶義詞)。所以說一個男人是mama's boy是侮辱。很多女性也對mama's boy有偏見，認為mama's boy不是好的終身伴侶。
      獨立自主“裙腳仔”
      不過，首先要弄清楚的是，究竟大家對mama's boy的定義有沒有分別？第一種mama's boy是這樣的：
      This type is the man who simply loves and respects his mother, nothing more and nothing less. He is neither controlled by his mother nor emotionally dependent(依賴) on her. She may or may not be over-mothering him, but the man is fully capable of living his life as an independent adult and making his own decisions.
      （這種男士敬愛母親。就是這樣。他沒有被母親操縱，也不會在心理上依賴母親。母親可能過度呵護他，但這位男士是完全有獨立生活和獨立拿主意的能力。）
      有人說，真正的mama's boy是這樣的：
      A true mama's boy is dependent on his mother, in more ways than one. He never grows up, in a sense. Such men are usually accustomed(習慣) to being served, to the point that they have no idea of where their socks are, how to do laundry(洗衣服) or make even the simplest meal.
      什麼事也靠別人做，完全沒有獨立的能力，不論男女，這都不是正確的做人態度。其實mama's boy怎樣定義並不是重點，重要的是要看真正所指的心態、行為是什麼。
      有新的研究發現，做mama's boy其實也有好處︰
      New research suggests boys who are close to their mothers are better at shunning the macho stereotypes that interfere with their relationships - and often their mental health.
      Macho是陽剛的、大男子氣的。Stereotype是典型。若mama's boy是指跟母親的關係特別緊密，那就是好事，因為這樣會讓男孩在成長時有能力抗拒盲從男性的典型，也有助維護他們的心理健康。
      Studies have shown, for example, that grown men who think it's important to be autonomous(獨立自主) are less likely to ask for medical help when they need it. The boys who thought it was OK to share their feelings and lean on others(依靠別人) also had better mental health, as measured by the Children's Depression Inventory.
      可惜現時社會仍然對男性有典型的要求。到了約十六歲，社會便會告訴他們是時候“成熟”，而男性的“成熟”是"defined by independence, not by having supportive close relationships"(要獨立，不需要互相扶持的緊密人際關係)。
      解答男孩成長疑難
      有學者認為，這個年代的男孩子成長時面對的問題比女孩子還要多。William Pollack的Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood，為這些問題找答案。