"My Son" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Jan Howard.

The song is based on a letter Howard wrote to her son, Jimmy, who was drafted into the war.

With his encouragement, she forged her own recording career beginning with the top 15 country song in 1960 called "The One You Slip Around With".

She had a series of charting singles during the 1960s including the top ten "Evil on Your Mind" and the chart-topping duet with Bill Anderson called "For Loving You".

[3] In her autobiography Howard said that she frequently wrote letters to her son to keep him updated on events happening at home.

Three additional tracks were cut in the same session, which later appeared on Howard's eponymous studio album.

It was issued on a 7" vinyl record format featuring a cover of Bill Anderson's, "The Tip of My Fingers", on the B-side.

[9] "My Son" made its debut on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart on November 23, 1968.

In their 2003 book, Finding Their Voice: The History of Women in Country Music, Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann called the song "a moving recitation".

[13] Lee Andresen recounted the story of "My Son" in his book Battle Notes: Music of the Vietnam War.

[14] Ken Burns also brought attention to the song in two of his documentaries; 2017's The Vietnam War and 2019's Country Music.

"[3] Burns interviewed Howard for his Vietnam War documentary, during which she told a story about antiwar protestors asking her to join them in response to Jimmy's death.