Personally, I think parents need to get over it. There is so much we need to protect our children from, and I think a little childhood romance is the least of it. Realistically, the preschoolers who speak of engagement and marriage aren’t aware of what any of that really means. My son spent his preschool
Right now they just like to smile at each other and then run away shrieking with embarrassment.
Talk to Kids About Crushes Help Them Understand Their Feelings
By Paige Wolf
T
he other day I found my six-year-old son coloring the most elaborate picture, complete with hearts, rainbows, and the words “Sam + Lydia.” (Well, it was actually “Sam + Liyda.”) He informed me that the little bespectacled blonde was his crush and that he loved her. He wanted to give her this proclamation of his admiration at school the next day. And that was just fine with me.
Lately I’ve read a couple articles chastising adults for asking children about their “boyfriends,” “girlfriends,” and “crushes.” Parents have been put off by the discussion as too sophisticated, inappropriate, and even borderline sexual. 18 MendoLakeFamilyLife
I’ve also spoken to parents who refuse to participate in any discussion of crushes, insisting that they simply are not ready to accept their children as old enough for “relationships.”
years alternately engaged to a dozen different girls and boys, several of which were in tandem. We took that time to explain to him that marriage was about choosing someone to spend your life with, and that someone could be a boy or a girl—but his final decision wouldn’t be made until they were adults. No, he could not marry his sister and mommy and daddy were spoken for. I had a preschool “boyfriend.” He would pretend to be Superman and I, Lois Lane. Years later we reconnected on Facebook and giggled about our childhood romance. He told me my daughter looks just like he remembers me, and it warmed my heart. Throughout elementary school I remember the girls being far more interested in love than the boys. I spent those years pining for many of the little boys who sadly did not return my affection until I turned 12 and sprouted breasts. Nonetheless, notes were passed and several couples paired off for roller
February 2020 www.mendolakefamilylife.com
