Crushing

I have just finished the most fascinating conversation with Mia.

Apparently last month at Parent's Night Out, a date night provided by our daycare, Mia danced with a boy named Carson and decided that she loved him.  We thought we were having Parent's Night Out this Friday and when I told her it was cancelled because of the snow she was crestfallen.

She told me about her crush.  I asked her how she knew she liked Carson.

"Well," she told me, "we just danced around and I think, well, I guess I just fell in love!"

I asked how she knew it was love.  She wasn't really clear but a 7 year old girl had told her it was love and a crush, so it must be so.

So it starts.

We put down some ground rules.  I told her it would be a long time until she could date.

"Mia, you won't be able to date until you're very grown up, like 60," I said.  "You'll be old enough to drive, chew gum, drink coke and coffee by then so you'll probably be able to date, too."

This is just a creepy photo I found on the internet and liked because it's so odd and old looking.  So there.

She nodded in agreement – it's obvious she doesn't know what 60 years old looks like.

"Also, you can have lots of crushes, but you save your love for God, your family, your friends and someday your husband."

"I won't get married, though, Mommy, because I don't want to have babies," Mia said.

"Then you shouldn't be falling in love with anyone," I said.  I'm sticking to the hard-core party line here.  I have to if we're going to keep her from dating until she's 60.

"Also, Mia, your very first date will be with Daddy," I stipulated.  Isaiah came home from work right about then.  I asked if he agreed that her first date would be with him.

He did.

I told him she'd be 60 when that date took place.  He thought that was a good age, but that 70 would be even better.

Mia was very agreeable with the whole deal.

Then Isaiah almost ruined it.

"You won't date for a long time… 60 is as old as Popi and Mima," he said.

That took Mia aback.  She wasn't sure how that would work and thought about it for a long time before nodding her head again.

Then came the final question:

"OK, I'll take my first date with Daddy when I'm 60 but then can my second date be with Carson?"

Yes, Mia, yes it can.  Fine by me.