'I Am Very Proud of You,' Taraji P. Henson Celebrates Adult Son's Birthday with Sweet Post

"What Men Want" actress Taraji P. Henson shared a touching message to her son Marcell on his birthday.

Fans of Taraji P. Henson will remember her best as the sassy businesswoman in "What Men Want," or as Cookie Lyon, devoted mother in the hit series "Empire."

In real life, Henson is an equally devoted and doting mother to her son Marcell, who has just turned 25.

CELEBRATING HER SON'S BIRTHDAY

Henson commemorated Marcell's birthday by sharing a throwback photo on Instagram.

The adorable photo shows a young Henson holding the infant Marcell, and she captioned it:

"Happy Birthday to my heart beat!!! Son I love you soooyooo much and I am very proud of you @filet_marcell !!! #GodIs ?????"

TARAJI P. HENSON'S FEARS AS A BLACK MOTHER

Henson opened up about the fears she faces as the mother of a young black man.

“He has a really good heart. It’s just hard to know that the world can pick him out and turn him into a monster at any given moment. That’s what I fear, that’s something that I carry — I think every black mother does," she said.

In 2003, when Marcell was just 9, his father was brutally murdered.

TEACHING HER SON TO DEAL WITH RACISM

Henson revealed that she prepared her son to deal with racial slurs, including the N-word.

“You know that N-word? It’s just a word, baby. You can’t let people use words to knock you off your block,” she says.

HOW MARCELL HANDLED DISCRIMINATION

Hanson revealed that she is proud of her son, especially after an incident in high school when he was subjected to bullying and name-calling.

Hanson was called to the director's office where the woman explained the incident in detail.

“Then she got to the N-word and she said, ‘The poise that your son showed, he taught me something. [The dean] said, ‘Was it the N-word?’ And Marcell said ‘No, that’s just a word. It means you’re ignorant and that has nothing to do with the color of my skin.’ “ Hanson shared.

It goes to show that Marcell has a great mom, who has done a great job.

TARAJI P. HENSON IS A SINGLE MOM

Taraji P. Henson welcomed Marcell in 1994 with her then-boyfriend William Lamar Johnson.

Sadly the couple’s relationship foundered, mainly due to physical abuse. Although the couple split up, Johnson continued to have an active role in Marcell's life.

In 2003, when Marcell was just 9, his father was brutally murdered. He had approached a couple who had been slashing the tires on a friend's car, and they turned on him.

Henson was left to raise her little boy on her own, and she can be congratulated on having done a fine job.