Third Grade Social Life

I was busy scolding my third grade son, Zack, for not having his cub scout uniform hung up because that's how you keep it from getting wrinkled. He was trying to tell me that he didn't know that it had been washed and that's why he didn't hang it up... what a lame excuse! He just doesn't remember the 500 times I asked him to put his clothes away. So I jumped into my "be responsible" lecture, but he stopped me in my tracks. He said, "Three girls at school like me."

I barely noticed the change in subject, and I tried to be nonchalant when I said, "Oh, are they in your class?" He said, "No, but they're all in the same class." I said, "Do they chase you at recess?" And he smiled and said, "Yes. And one time they played basketball with us." One of the girls also likes his friend Anthony. I asked if they liked Steven (his other friend), too. He rambled on about the color of everyone's skin and that he didn't think so, but that it was possible because my skin and Daddy's skin are different, so it's possible. I said that it didn't matter what the color of everyone's skin was and he said he knew. So then I said, "And is there a girl that you like? I know that Julia moved away." (I blogged about Julia last year... he claimed she was his girlfriend to one of his friends, and when I told him that he couldn't have a girlfriend until he was 16, he said, "I know, Mom, she's my future girlfriend.") He said shyly, "I like all the girls that like me."

Wow. What I really like about all this is that he didn't mind talking to me about it. He even climbed into my lap (what's left of it) and was very comfortable telling me about his social life. Sarah would die before she admitted to anything. I really like how Zack can talk about things. I hope that it doesn't change when he hits puberty and starts perfecting the art of rebellious teenager.

I already know that Sarah is going to make all my hair turn gray or even fall out when she hits puberty, but by then, it will be Daddy's turn to run point on child raising. My job won't be over, but it will take more of a father's touch when the teen years hit. Josh knows this... he's looking forward to it! Kind of. Not really.