They grow up so fast!

It is unbelivable how quickly time flies when you are raising children. Let me explain.

Christian has been coming home these past few days talking about a girl in his class named Hunter. Apparently he overheard Hunter and her friend Linda talking about how Hunter has a crush on Christian. He confronted them about it and she admitted to his face that, "she likes him." So he comes home and tells me all about his day. Well later on I see him writing a note with a picture drawn on it. I ask him what it is about, so he shows me. In a nutshell he tells Hunter he has a "crush" on her too. He tells me he plans to leave this note on the corner of her desk so when she comes back from gym she will see it.

Ben drove the boys to school today and he called me after he dropped them off. He said the entire way Christian was so nervous about leaving this note for Hunter. William, the ever practical one, says to him,

"Christian, why don't you just walk up to her and give it to her. She knows it is from you anyway because you signed it!"

"No way! That would be embarrasing!"

So now I await the results of this dramatic day for my son and to hear if his heart will be broken. William had some questions for me yesterday on the way home from school about this whole developing "love" relationship between his brother and Hunter. It went something like this.

"Now that Christian and Hunter like each other what happens next?"

"Well, nothing happens. What would happen?"

"You know, when people fall in love, don't they get married or something? What happens?"

"Christian is not in love. He just likes Hunter a little more than the other girls. That is not love."

Christian says, "I do too, Mom! She is perfect!"

And so it begins. Bring on third grade.

I was talking about this situation with Ben and wondering aloud if this isn't a bit too young to start having crushes. Ben said he can remember his first crush and playing kissing tag in kindergarten. Of course, anyone who knows Ben will not find that hard to believe at all.

So I got to thinking back when I was young and I remembered my very first crush. Jeffrey McMillan. His dad was a dentist and they lived in our ward in South Jordan, UT. I used to stand outside in the front yard waiting for him to pass by our house on his way home from school. I was seven. Each day I tried to think of something different and unique to get him to notice me. One day I set up a tee-pee in the front yard in the hope that he would find it too cool to resist and want to come and see it. Didn't work. The next day I was blowing up a balloon and acting like I did not know how to do it in hopes that he would offer his seven-year-old experience. I was ignored. Day after day I tried for his attention and was heartbroken when his affections went to my best friend Lisa. They played kick ball without me. Devastating.

Just in case you were wondering how on earth I remember all of that, I was a very avid journal keeper as a child and teenager. I made sure to document all of the major events such as Jeffrey McMillan for future prosperity to enjoy. You can thank me now for sharing with you. :-)