Country singer Reba McEntire celebrated her only son’s birthday with a warm photo of them being hit by beautiful sun rays. “I sure feel a lot better today than I did 34 years ago!” she began her caption, referring to when she fell into labor. “From the first second, I found out I was pregnant up to today, this child is one of the biggest blessings of my life.”
She ended her sweet tribute to the 34-year-old with gratitude to God “for letting me experience being a mama” and reminded Shelby that she loves him “with all my heart, mind and soul.” The birthday boy responded, “Love you!!” in the comments section, where many fans expressed their kind wishes as well.
Fans react to Reba McEntire and son Shelby’s resemblance
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Reba’s followers could not deny the fact that Shelby, whom she shares with her ex-husband Narval Blackstock, looks a lot like her. “Happy Birthday, Shelby!! Definitely see the resemblance, handsome and beautiful like his mama!!” someone exclaimed. “I love that his name is Shelby. It’s so southern, and he looks just like his mama!” another added.
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Aside from being close in looks, Shelby and his mother are peas in a pod as well, and they spend quality time together. “We’re incredibly close…I’d jet home post-concert, wake Shelby up, take him to school, and we’d spend quality time together until it was time to hit the road again,” the singer told People magazine in 2022. ” My goal was, and still is, to be there for Shelby.”
Reba is passionate about her son, whose birth she wrote about in her autobiography Reba: My Story. She referred to it as “a miracle” and “the most profound spiritual experience I’ve ever had.” In her chat with People, she commended Narval for doing “a great job too” in raising Shelby before they parted in 2015. “I’m very proud of Shelby,” she told the outlet. “He’s always striving to be better. Shelby is a gift from God to me.”
Being a mom has also changed Reba’s mindset, making her more sensitive and responsible as we now know her to be. “Before Shelby, I was a tad self-centered. But his presence shifted my focus— it became about nurturing, loving, and teaching this wonderful life I was entrusted with,” she reflected. Shelby is also a parent to two adorable daughters— Shawna Rene and Chassidy Celeste and a son, Brandon Blackstock, from his dissolved marriage to Elisa Ritter.