S.W.A.K.
Oh my. I think Elijah has a crush, and an unabashed crush at that! I mean, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, Elijah’s never been bashful about anything, but I thought maybe, when it came to an ”affaire de coeurs” he might be a little more demure. But no, he declared quite matter-of-factly that he was putting Xs and Os on Anna’s Valentine, and when I asked him if he was sure he wanted to do that he said, “Yep, I’m sure. I really like her.”
The discussion ended there, partly because I was afraid I’d burst out laughing, but also because I wasn’t quite sure what to do or say. With Elijah, I’ve certainly realized that it works best to “pick my battles,” …and I honestly don’t know if this was/is a battle worth picking! Should I let him deliver this Valentine? Seriously, I’d love to hear your opinion, or what you would do. Help!
February 7th, 2008 at 12:48 am
I think you should let him deliver it.
February 7th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Absolutely, let him deliver it. He has fantastic penmanship! Is that really his printing?
February 7th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Jan, that is so funny! I’m not even going to pretend I have any idea what you should do from a parenting point of view. He’s so charming our Elijah :O) So sweet - of course it would be hard to explain to him the issues around delivering it. Maybe be prepared for vday and what happens if he doesn’t receive that same kind of affection? Or its probably so innocent that he probably won’t even think of receiving any affections in return. And you have to remember where we come from. We were taught or trained whatever you would call it so stricly (spelling??) about these kinds of things that we were never the outgoing loving types at such a young age but alot of people encourage it or think it is very “cute” when 8 year olds have girl/boyfriends. Know what I mean?
Its a very nice valentine!
February 7th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Yeah, I’m probably overthinking it. But here’s my thought process: What if the hugs and kisses turn out to be more than imaginary ones, and they really decide to hug and kiss. Highly unlikely I suppose, but what if?!!! I know he’s only eight, but we hear now-a-days that kids are experimenting with sex at younger and younger ages…like at ten, eleven years of age. (!) It’s totally fine for him to have a crush (and Anna is adorable), but…I don’t know…I guess I’m trying to decipher what exactly my role as a parent is here…
February 7th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Oh, and yes, Elijah really did print that.
He takes great pride in his beautiful penmenship. Cute sometimes, annoying at others…like when he throws paper after paper away, when one letter isn’t perfect.
February 7th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Cute- I am glad that I don’t have to deal with that yet. I have NO idea what I would do. Elijah sure is sweet. You have my prayers. Let me know what happens!
February 7th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
sounds like something malachi would do. but… he’s 5. i have no idea what i’ll do when he’s 8. let me know how it goes, so i can prepare.
(he has told me he wants to marry a couple different girls in his class, and when i ask why he wants to marry her, he’ll answer with “because she has a cute voice and i like her hair” for example… and i’m left thinking, wow… he really has though about this… yikes.)
he also throws away anything he’s written or drawn that’s not perfect.
February 7th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
have you read this book?
http://thesquireandthescroll.com/
written especially for boys about purity.
February 8th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
It’s true that kids are experimenting with sexual behaviours at younger ages… but it’s also true that yours is a home with a strong moral compass. I may be too naive, though. I remember that even in high school my crushes were still pretty innocent in that department!
February 9th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
I think it’s super adorable, and I wouldn’t hesitate to let him deliver it. I highly doubt that it will result in anything you’d disapprove of.
“Kids” are experimenting at younger ages, but that doesn’t mean Elijah will. I think it’s really sweet to let them have these young crushes, especially when boys are so often taught to not show their feelings. It put a big smile on my face.
February 9th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
What a predictament. When Grace has said something about a boy she thinks is “special” I just encourage her to make sure she is a friend to all the kids instead of just picking one to “like”. I’m not sure if it’s working but I keep reminding her of that.