5 going on 13

Me: Hey, you have a short day at school today, are you excited?
Jaden: No.
Me: Why not?
Jaden: Because that means no recess. And besides, no recess means I don't get to see my girlfriend.
Me: You have a girlfriend?
Jaden: Yes
Me: Who is she?
Jaden: Her name is K.
Me: Oh. You play with K at recess?
Jaden: Everyday! She runs and I run, but she is faster than me. She tags me and says, "You're it!" And I can never catch her.
Me: What about your friend Mason? Don't you play with him anymore?
Jaden: No, he has his own girlfriend now too. But he doesn't like her.
Me: Why not?
Jaden: Because she wants to marry him and he does NOT want to.
Me: Oh. (I did not ask anymore questions)


Later that day I took the kids to Jumpin Jacks (an indoor place full of bounce houses) Little did I know that K would be joining us. As soon as she and Jaden saw each other, they ran up to each other and started holding hands. They went down all the slides together and just could not be apart. If K was out of his sight for more than a few seconds he would stop whatever he was doing to look for her. K also has a bit of a dramatic side. As she was following Jaden up a ladder to a slide she would "slip" and then call Jaden for help. Jaden would turn around, reach down and pull her up. K's little sister thought that was fun and she decided to give it a try with Kaleb. As we were leaving, Jaden and K said their goodbyes over and over. They also gave each other a hug. Another girl Jaden's age was also there and she said goodbye to Jaden. Jaden must not of heard, becasue he then said goodbye again to K. The other little girl just looked down and said, "Jaden like's K more than he likes me!"

I wasn't sure what to think about all that had gone on that day. I know he's only 5 and that everything was innocent... but there were a few moments when I felt like I was keeping my eye on a 13 year old! I didn't tell him to stop what he was doing, but I DID have a talk with him about how fun it is to have LOTS of friends, and that maybe he would have fun with the other girl that was there too... as well as other boys!

We had decided a few days earlier that we wanted to make and decorate cookies to give to some of Jaden and Kaleb's friends around the neighborhood. When we started talking about it he asked if he could give cookies to K and the other girl. He said he now had 2 girlfriends. I told him that would be okay and he said, "I think we should do pink and purple because... girls like pink and purple, right?"

Jaden and Kaleb had fun making their cookies and cards, and delivering them to their friends. When we were on our way home, Jaden said, "I know my friends liked it, but it made me feel really happy to give everyone those cookies."