. . . related childish romances

Digital collage using my own photographs and backgrounds.


Last week, neighbor kid Grayson (age 4) told neighbor kid Stella (also age 4) that he loved her and was going to marry her. Stella's mom and I looked at each other in amazement and then Stella's mom gave a wry little sad kind of smile and said, "Oh, you are?" The next day Grayson came over to play with Stella and my Betsy, very proud, and showed us the ring he had brought for Stella, a fake David Yurman-like ring that I'm sure he either took from or was given to him by his mom. It was lovely for a four-year-old. How cute? Minutes later, he was ratting Stella out, reporting to us that Stella had hit Betsy (as it happens, totally by accident, no injuries, no hard feelings.)


Yesterday my daughter Stephanie was reporting on Betsy's last day of swimming lessons. Betsy is 3 1/2, will be four in late November. She told me that Betsy had learned a lot, loved the water, and she could see the improvement. Then she told me that she had seen Chase (age 4) and Betsy kissing in the pool. And not just little pecks on the cheeks, she said, but full-out smacks on the lips. Stef said she hoped Betsy would not grow up to be the "pool slut". . . (and didn't we all know them?) Stef asked Betsy if they had been kissing, and Betsy just nonchalantly said that they had, no big deal for her. I suggested that Stef relate the story to Betsy's Uncle Matt. . . who threatens to take out anyone who messes with Betsy, or alternatively, to teach Betsy how to do it herself. Keep your mitts off Betsy.


Thank God that these are still little kids . . . in ten years or so, there might be something to worry about.