We were at the beach today with a gaggle of kids and somehow the conversation turned to boyfriends and girlfriends. One of the kids' pals, a 7-year-old girl, supposedly asked her parents for a cellphone. The reason: so she could call her boyfriend. Yikes! I shivered at the thought. And I made a mental note to never, ever get my kids their own phones.
But it reminded me of a story. Earlier this year, QB was telling me that his buddy Seth has had a girlfriend since Kindergarten. For 2nd graders, that's a serious, long-term relationship. Practically a common-law marriage. In any case, I asked QB what having a girlfriend, means, exactly, to a 7-year-old boy. Not that he knows from personal experience. He does not have a girlfriend. (A few marriage proposals, but no girlfriend.) And I'm hoping he won't for about 15, 20 years.
"So, what kinds of things do a boyfriend and girlfriend do together when you're in 2nd grade?" I asked, praying the answer wouldn't have anything to do with kissing or sneaking out to the woods at the end of the cul-de-sac.
He thought about it carefully and answered,
"I think you swing on the swings together."
I nearly melted. If only it could always be that easy. I wished I could bottle that sweet innocence and hold onto it forever.
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