Kiera recently started a new daycare. It has been an adjustment for all of us but she is doing really well. Last Wednesday, as I went in to pick her up, I observed a little boy that seemed to stay close by her side. After noticing me, Kiera jumped to her feet. Before she could run to me, the little boy stopped her and gave her a hug.
I smiled, thinking how cute it was that she had a friend. I held out my arms as she ran to me for a hug. I finished our “squeezy” hug and stood up, holding my hand out for her to take.
“Wait!” she yelled, “I almost forgot!”
She ran to her cubby and pulled out a piece of paper. She held it out for me to examine. It was a coloring page. On it was a smiling cat that had been colored purple and green. I smiled and complimented her on the fine piece of art.As we walked outside, she told me more about the coloring page.
“That boy made it for me.” She said.
Woah… Hold on a minute. Did she say what I thought she said?
I helped my little girl into the truck and asked her to repeat what she had just told me.
“That boy. He made it for me,” she repeated.
“Oh… well, did he make a picture for anyone else?” I asked.
“No. Not that I know of,” she responded, while looking at the picture she held.
I begin to think back to earlier in the week. I remembered that every day that I had picked her up, this little boy was beside her. Now, when I say little boy, I mean, like a five or six year old. Way too old for my four year old.
I did have a talk with her last Monday about when she could date. I explained to her that when she was 25, she could kiss a boy. My mother was present for that conversation. She actually covered her face and snickered behind her hands. I think she thought I was being unreasonable.
Back to my current plight… As I begin the drive over to pick up Aaron from work, I couldn’t help but smile as I imagined Aaron’s response to the picture.
As I pulled up to our work, Aaron came out. He smiled and waved at Kiera through the side door before climbing into the passenger seat. “Hi, baby girl! How was your day?” he asked Kiera.
I tried to hide my smile as I prompted her, “Show Daddy your picture.”
She beamed from the back seat and held up the coloring page for Aaron to see. He twisted in his seat and smiled adoringly at her. “That’s beautiful, baby.”
“Tell Daddy where you got it.” I couldn’t help the smile that was creeping on my face.
“A boy at school gave it to me,” Kiera innocently responded.
For a very tiny moment, I think Aaron’s world came to a screeching halt. His posture changed, his face lost the adoring look and changed to more of a protective Daddy bear look. I think the radio even stopped playing for a brief moment as we awaited his response.
“What?” Aaron asked. I think that was the only word he could muster; possibly hoping he had misunderstood her.
I couldn’t help it. I snickered.
“A boy at my new school made it for me,” Kiera repeated. Thank heavens she is four or she might begin to think we were deaf.
“Yup,” I said popping the p. “A boy at her school made it for her. It’s the same boy that has hugged her the last two days when I have picked her up.”
I watched out of the corner of my eye to see him take that information in. “Can I see the picture, baby?” He asked.
Kiera handed the purple and green cat page up to Aaron. He looked it over carefully. Honestly, I am not sure what he expected to glean from the picture. I don’t know if he thought there was a phone number written in crayon somewhere or if he was looking to see how well he stayed in the lines.
“What’s his name, sweetie?” Aaron asked as he handed the picture back to Kiera.
She looked puzzled for a minute before responding, “I don’t know. I will have to ask him tomorrow.”
That helped soothe Aaron’s nerves a little. Poor guy.
Seriously, we aren’t worried about Kiera falling madly in love with one of her little classmates. It’s more that we know the years will be creeping up sooner than we would like and we will be dealing with… boys and dating.
Until then, Hans from the Southern Isles will have to wait until she is 25 before he can begin courting her. Maybe 27…
