Young Love

Lately M has been consumed with the idea of getting married. We've had many discussions on when is an appropriate time to get married (preferrably after college), and also criteria to rule out who she cannot marry (ie someone already married or family members). The main thing that has stuck in her head is that she can't marry her cousins. However, differentiating her cousins from her other friends is a little challenging for her since she has so many cousins living in close proximity that are also her friends.

So last Thursday, when she got out of preschool, she ran to her favorite swivel chair that's in the hallway as you near the exit. While spinning around and around, she asked for clarification as to whether her classmate Kaden is a cousin or friend. I confirmed that he was a friend. A moment after, Kaden walked past and M yelled at him to stop. After he stopped and turned, M proceeded to earnestly ask him if he would marry her when they grew up. Being a boy, he just grimaced and ran off.

I don't know why Kaden was the lucky recipient of her first proposal. Especially when at home she talks all the time about how she wants to marry Zachery, and his favorite color is green. C was about the same age when she first made the object of her affection aware of her feelings. It was two years ago when we were leaving the preschool parking lot that C rolled down her window and yelled for all to hear (and there were quite a few) "I love you Zachery Polzel!"

The same day as the proposal, we decided to stay at the school to play at the playground after we picked C up from school. There were two other boys on the play structure that I didn't recognize. After a short time, M asked one of the boys how old he was. He replied that he was seven. In follow up, M asked "so, are you married?"

I believe that I've mentioned a time or two before how very boy crazy C is. I fear for what the future brings with her! If we're not careful, we find her stalking the 12 year old boys in the hall at church. She also has a HUGE crush on two brothers - Darius and Omar (around 13 and 11). She's wide eyed and calling for them any time they are in her line of sight. I feel so bad for those poor pestered boys. At school we frequently get reports that she chases the boys (yes, multiples) and tries to kiss them. After one such report, P asked the teacher. "Well, I just don't know what else to do. You guys have more experience with this than I do, what should we do?" Her teacher responded that she didn't know. In 20 years of teaching, she'd never seen a girl so boy crazy before! These days, I consider the report that C was merely blowing kisses to boys to be a good day.

Last week, the mother of one of the boys in C's class stopped me on my way to the car to ask if my daughter was named C. She said that her son must have a crush on her, because he talks non stop about her at home and he often draws her in his pictures. Oddly enough, this is practically the only boy that I don't hear her talking about trying to kiss. The next day the same mom stopped me again. She'd told the boy's father that she'd finally met C, and she was a tall blonde, to which dad proudly replied "that's my boy!"