'I love you': Reba McEntire celebrates son Shelby Blackstock's 34th birthday with heartfelt tribute
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Reba McEntire paid tribute to her son Shelby Blackstock on his 34th birthday over social media.
The ‘Young Sheldon’ star took to Instagram and wrote, “I sure feel a lot better today than I did 34 years ago! :)”
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Reba shares her joy while wishing her son Shelby his 34th birthday
'The Voice' coach added, “From the first second I found out I was pregnant, up to today, this child is one of the biggest blessings of my life. Thank you, God, for letting me experience being a mama. I love you, Shelby, with all my heart mind and soul ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️”
McEntire shares her son Shelby with her former husband Narvel Blackstock, whom she welcomed a year after their marriage in 1989. After 26 years together, they separated in 2015.
In October 2022, she shared, "I'm very proud of him. ... He's always trying to improve and do better. His daddy did a great job too."
McEntire continued, "Shelby is a gift from God to me. We're very close. I was a very self-centered person to a degree before Shelby. But then there's a little character who you are given the job to protect and nurture and love and teach, so all the attention's not on you anymore."
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Reba passing on the family values
McEntire also mentioned that she received "a lot of help" while raising Shelby throughout her demanding career.
The 68-year-old said, "I had the best nannies, and I took him on the road with me, When I couldn't, I would fly home after a concert, get him up in the morning, take him to school and pick him up. We'd play until I had to fly out again for a concert that night. I wanted to be with Shelby. Still do," per People.
Last year, McEntire shared her unique experience of motherhood, expressing, "I'm at a really good place in my life. I'm happy, I'm in love. My kids are all healthy. My family's healthy. So I'm happy."
"Mama and Daddy always said to me, 'If you tell somebody you're going to be somewhere at a certain time, you show up,'" she said. "That's the way I was raised."
"When we would play games or cards, I'd never let Shelby win. He wouldn't have learned anything that way. I always told Shelby, 'I'll always love you, but I want other people to like you. So don't be a little jerk. Don't be a spoiled brat,'" she added.
