19-year-old Shane Burke recently decided to get in touch with his mum, who he hadn’t seen since she gave him up for adoption when he was born. However, when he finally came face-to-face with Rose Bestall, their feelings went a little bit further than maternal love.

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Apparently Rose had given Shane up when she had him as she was only 15-years-old and felt she was too young to look after a child. He was taken into care and she was allowed surprised visits up until he was 5. Recently Shane managed to get hold of his mum online. And just three months after they met, Shane realised that he felt strong feelings of love towards his birth mother. He said:

I’d had a few drinks and something strange came over me. I’d never thought of Rose in a romantic way but suddenly I’d started to have strange feelings for her.

We’d been spending so much time together it was like we were boyfriend and girlfriend and going on dates.

We went back to Rose’s and we were having a cigarette in the garden when I just blurted it out.

He’s put the feelings down to genetic sexual attraction (GSA), which is surprisingly quite a common condition that occurs when long lost relatives are reunited after years of not being together.

Despite Shane’s intense feelings of love, Rose, who is happily married with four children, has turned him down and said that she wants a normal relationship with her son. She said:

The confession left me with a massive dilemma.

I knew Shane’s feelings were completely inappropriate but I had searched for him for so long and I didn’t want to push him away again.

I don’t think she really has to worry about “pushing him away” just for shutting him down for a sexual relationship – mother and son loving ain’t a normal thing so to say no is perfectly normal.

Seems like this is one of those GSA cases where it is not reciprocated, which is definitely a good thing. Otherwise it might have ended in a marriage break up, like it did with this mother and son who ended up falling in love and running away together.