Milestone alert...

So we were sitting down for dinner, me, Jaden, and Duquan (Steve was at fire drill), and I asked as I usually do, how was school.

Jaden said for the first time and completely out of the blue: "Thanks for cooking dinner Mommy." It was very heart-warming and very unexpected.

Duquan talked about how they are learning about Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims, etc. He then said that Allison (a girl in his class) has a boyfriend in another class. So I asked him if he had a girlfriend and I was expecting the usual "Eww, Mom! Girls are gross! Stop saying things like that!" but not this time. It was, "Yes," like duh, of course, as if I was so out of the loop. I said, "You do? What's her name?" Her name is Cassidy and she has blond hair. "So you have a girlfriend," I said. And Duquan replied, "She doesn't know yet; I haven't told her." I laughed. I guess there were a few things I needed to go over.

So after dinner we talked. I explained that he has to ask the girl first, then he can call her his girlfriend. He said that he would ask tomorrow, but he was scared. I asked what he was so scared of and of course he said he was scared that she would say no. We talked about the possible reasons why she might say no:

1. She might not want a boyfriend right now.
2. She might just want to be friends.
3. She might like someone else.

But essentially, if she said no it would be okay. And if she said yes, then that would be okay too. So then we talked about what it meant to be boyfriend and girlfriend. He said that they would hang out together at recess. I said, "At the play structure?" He furrowed his eyebrows and said,"Mom, I don't play at the play structure anymore. I like to go to the computer lab." Apparently she likes to go to the computer lab too. Duquan then started to tell me things about who Cassidy is, which is a first. He's never really described friends before. He and Cassidy both like cats. He's not sure what she does during recess, but he knows that she hangs out with her friend Nikki. They've been friends for a long time. They are both in his class.

It's interesting to see this kind of development. This is the first time he's talking about girls and who they are. Before now it was all about the guys. I found myself fascinated that he reached this new point in learning about community and different kinds of relationships. Once he started talking about it, he wanted me to call family and friends to tell them, which I found very interesting. I let Duquan know that he can talk to me or Daddy anytime about anything. I am so excited about this new adventure and what it might bring. He's passed "little boy," he's growing quickly through "big boy," and we are watching him as he learns what it means to be young man. It's awesome!

Oh, but what if she says no? My poor baby!