Opinion: Why I'm worried about Barron. He's fled Manhattan - and now this

Keep his name out ya mouth! That's reportedly what the world's most famous helicopter mom Melania Trump told stepson Eric Trump after he recently breached the topic of baby brother Barron. In an interview with Megyn Kelly , Eric shed a little light on that infamous Inauguration Day exchange between Barron and out-stumbling President Joe Biden . There's long been speculation from lip readers and TDS sufferers that Barron cursed at Poor Old Joe – adding insult to injury as his daddy kicked the Bidens to the curb.

But Eric shut that down. '[Barron said] something so polite I almost wouldn't even get it right,' Eric claimed, 'like, "Congratulations and best of luck to you", or something like that. Something very respectful.' 'He just doesn't have that in him,' Eric continued. 'He's a nice guy. He's probably thinking it... but he's too courteous to actually go out there and say it.' Aww. Sounds like a sweet kid, right? Well, apparently, the First Lady wasn't having it.

'Melania does not want Barron discussed. Ever,' a source reportedly told journalist Rob Shuter. 'She told Eric to shut his mouth,' the source continued, '[Melania] protects that boy like a lioness. 'He's in college. He wants a quiet life. Headlines and memes are the last thing she wants for him.' I've reached out to the White House to confirm this reporting, but it's not a stretch to say it rings true.

A source told People in August, 'Melania watches Barron constantly in an effort to be sure nobody messes with him or bullies him, as this is a constant worry with her. She always knows where he is and what he's doing.' And, can you blame her? Barron is 19, he's 6ft 9in and reportedly has a personal net worth underpinned by a $150 million crypto portfolio. (Did you have a nine-figure net worth at 19? I had an unreliable VW Beetle and a pack-a-day smoking habit.)

This kid is a gossip magnet. As I wrote a few weeks ago, there was a brouhaha over whispers that had Barron shut down an entire floor of the family's Fifth Avenue rambler… for a date! When he changes his Starbucks order there's a dumpster dive for deeper meaning. Some of his fellow NYU co-eds and former high school classmates have even been happy to spill the beans of his love life. So, it was no surprise when it was reported in September that Barron left those cruel New York lefties behind for the warm embrace of mommy inside their White House fortress.

Barron's reportedly taking classes at NYU's DC campus – and President Trump let slip in a recent interview with Laura Ingraham that his youngest may be camped out in the Lincoln bedroom. 'He's here, he's right upstairs,' Don told Laura. It all seems very quaint – and I absolutely can see where Melania is coming from – but doesn't it all seem a bit much?

Ironically, Barron may be the most intriguing member of the First Family, but only because we know so little about him. Take it from a mother who watched her college-age daughter slog through the social cruelties of the pandemic: I know this ain't easy. Worry is built into modern parenting. But, as anxiety-inducing as it may be, my unsolicited advice to the First Lady is to put concern aside and let your little birdie spread his gangly wings.

If Barron is not let out of the nest, he'll never learn to fly like a real Trump. And, if the reports are true, he's a good kid. So maybe, we'll stop craning our necks to find him if he comes out of hiding.