Reba McEntire Calls Son Shelby Blackstock ‘One of the Biggest Blessings of My Life’ on 34th Birthday: ‘I Love You’

The country star shared an Instagram post dedicated to her son on Friday

Reba wishes son Shelby Blackstock a happy birthday. Photo:Reba/Instagram

Reba McEntire sent some birthday wishes to a very special somebody — her son.

On Friday, the “Fancy” musician, 68, shared an Instagram tribute to her son Shelby Blackstock in honor of his 34th birthday.

Alongside a photo of the pair, in which McEntire looks pensive in a blue button-down shirt and Shelby is looking off into the distance clad in a cream polo shirt, she offered her son some sweet birthday wishes.

“I sure feel a lot better today than I did 34 years ago! 🙂 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. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️” the country icon wrote on the social media platform.

McEntire shares Shelby with her ex-husband Narvel Blackstock, with whom she had their son one year after they tied the knot in 1989. The two were married for 26 years before divorcing in 2015.

In October 2022, McEntire opened up to PEOPLE about her adult son, saying, “I’m very proud of him. … He’s always trying to improve and do better. His daddy did a great job too.”

She 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.”

Shelby Blackstock and Reba McEntire in November 2023.Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ABA

McEntire also said that she had “a lot of help” raising Shelby during her busy career.

“I had the best nannies, and I took him on the road with me,” The Voice coach said. “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.”

In a December 2023 interview with PEOPLE, McEntire said that her joy comes in part from her son and his well-being. “I’m at a really good place in my life,” she said. “I’m happy, I’m in love. My kids are all healthy. My family’s healthy. So I’m happy.”