And So It Begins

My eight-year-old son had a significant phone call today.  From a girl.  A real, live, honest-to-goodness, second-grade girl. 

I answered the phone and heard a little giggle.  "Is Stephen there?"

I called for him down the hallway; as he approached, I instantly flashed-back to taunting my brother by making smoochy noises and whispering, "it's a girrrrrl!"  But I remembered, thankfully, that now I'm the mom, and I handed him the phone gently, with nary a single smooch. 

"Hey," he said into the phone.  AS IF HE HAD BEEN EXPECTING THIS CALL.  And then he sauntered down the hall toward his room for...for...what, privacy? 

I stood there at the top of the stairs, frozen in a moment of indecision.  I could swear I heard the Jeopardy theme song tick-tocking over my shoulder.  Part of me wanted to dash downstairs and listen on the other extension.  Another part of me thought that it would be more subtle just to stand outside his door and listen.

And yet another part of showed up and gave the first two parts of me a firm kick in the pants, reminding my nosy self that there's nothing wrong with a little privacy.

I set about my business distractedly, until Stephen emerged from his room a few minutes later.   He came to the kitchen to hang up the phone.   "So," I said just as disinterestedly as I could.  "What did she want?"

Clearly he was trying to act coolly disinterested as well.  "Eh, nothing.  She was just bored."  And he trotted back to his room, his chest a little puffier, The Kind Of Boy That Girls Call Sometimes For No Reason.

I have seen this day coming since he first looked up at me with those deep brown eyes and long eyelashes.  He's going to break many hearts, and the first one may very well be mine.

Comments

[Big Mama]

This made my heart ache a little just reading about it. And so it begins...

[Faerylandmom]

Awww...

I hope my boy's turn is a loooong way off.

[~liz]

my boys are all under 4, but i felt your words through and through. i may tuck this post into my "need to read later when i need to know other moms have gone through this same experience" file. thanks for writing it!
~liz

[Heather @ Desperately Seeking Sanity]

Oh, do I know how this feels... ::sigh:: boys were yucky to me at age 8... but my daughter doesn't feel the same way.... :(

[Kathy/ Lessons from the Laundry]

So funny. My second grader got a call from a girl a couple months ago. She wanted computer advice about Webkinz...thank goodness that's all. But I did have to keep the older two kids in the dark. They for sure would have been taunting, "Graham's in love...."

[Antique Mommy]

You are his first true love and yes, the first heart he will break will be yours. Probably over and over.

[dcrmom]

Awwwwwww... Great post. And the heart being yours. SNIFF. My heart aches just reading that. I can't believe these days are a' comin'.

[Mike]

They start so young these days. My daughter has already broken up and gotten back together with her boyfriend...who just turned 5 yesterday.

[Everyday Mommy]

Oh, my. Oh, my.

[Terina]

mine 3 1/2 year old has long eyelashes with blue eyes. i will be in your shoes someday. and hopefully i'll remember this post so that i don't be the crazy nosey mom...

[T with Honey]

Only 6 more years until my baby will want to start calling boys? No! It can't come that quickly!!

[Becky]

I love this... it makes me laugh, but at the same time it frightens me to no end! :) (By my calculations, we've got about 4 more years now before I start receiving these calls.)

[Mandy]

At church last night, my husband and I were inside and all the kids were hanging around outside, including our 11 year old daughter. She was talking to a very tall boy, and giggling and playfully punching him and ... ugh! I got a horrible tummy-ache and Pete said, "I'm going to have to have talk with her."

And she's my SHY daughter! My 8-year-old is the flirt, and has been since ... shoot, since birth.

Deep breaths ... lots of prayers ...

[oh amanda]

Sweet sweet post!

[Aunt MurryAunt Murry]

Awww. That is so sweet.

[Melody]

I soooo would have been listening in on that conversation!!! You have much more will power than I!

[Shalee]

All I can think is "Thank you God that my 10 year old daughter doesn't like boys yet."

It's the yet that frightens me...

And kudos to you for not picking up the other extension, Shannon. I, however, would have found "something" that I needed to do near wherever he was talking...

[Katiebod]

Yep, the big brown eyes/long eyelash thing is something I struggle with...already...at age FIVE. My son has a girlfriend. her name is Lexy. (sigh....) Every day he talks about her and every night he prays for her. I wondered how in the world my child could be sucked in by this obviously vixen-like child. Until I saw for myself. Standing there, batting her eyelashes, wrapping her long brown locks around her finger, she sweetly said "hiiiii, Daniellllllllll..." I had my answer.

[Addie]

That last line caught my breath. It's bittersweet, isn't it?

[Susanne]

I agree with Addie. Bittersweet it is!

[Sandra]

My 8 year old daughter just started with the phone calls, but they're NOT from boys yet, it's her best friend from school. My hubby is freaking out already though, he says she's just a skip and jump away from boys calling LOL

[Mrs. Schmitty]

Girls are so much more forward these days, aren't they? LOL. My guy is 8 too, I'm waiting for the phone. I praise your restraint, not sure I could contain my smooching noises.

[Carrie]

{{{{{{HUG}}}}}}

[GiBee]

Ack!

"He's going to break many hearts, and the first one may very well be mine..."

I'm not listening, I'm not listening, I'm not listening, I'm not listening ... lalalalalalalalalalalalala ...

Lord, prepare my heart for that day! Amen.

[J. Fergie]

Eight??????

Pass the smelling salts ladies.

[Sarah]

My hubby insists our girls aren't allowed to have boyfriends until they are 47 at which point we will hopefully be too senile to get stressed about it :)

[shelly]

oooooohhhh... my little 10 year-old boy has had one or two of these calls. He promised he would never get married, but if he DOES he will live right next door. Good boy!

[shelly]

oooooohhhh... my little 10 year-old boy has had one or two of these calls. He promised he would never get married, but if he DOES he will live right next door. Good boy!

[Lynne]

Very sweet...my daughters are 12 and 14. My 14 has a guy friend who really is just a good friend, and they call each other. Most calls are about math...if one missed class, did not understand a problem, etc. It is a good friendship, and they are both really serious students (nerds), so they know they can count on each other. They have known each other since age 3.
I do think there is more of boy-girl "friends, not boyfriends" than when I was that age.
Interestingly, my daughter's "nice, little friend" is now over six foot tall. It is kind of nice knowing Alex would be there for her if she was ever in trouble.

[Lynne]

Very sweet...my daughters are 12 and 14. My 14 has a guy friend who really is just a good friend, and they call each other. Most calls are about math...if one missed class, did not understand a problem, etc. It is a good friendship, and they are both really serious students (nerds), so they know they can count on each other. They have known each other since age 3.
I do think there is more of boy-girl "friends, not boyfriends" than when I was that age.
Interestingly, my daughter's "nice, little friend" is now over six foot tall. It is kind of nice knowing Alex would be there for her if she was ever in trouble.

[Gretchen Hanna]

She must be a hussy! ;0)

[Girl Gone Wild]

Ahhhh! That is sweet to me now, in a few years...not so much. No one told me that being a mommy meant having the heart of a teddy bear and the hide of a rhino...sigh...

[laura]

oooo....i must be one of those moms.
lol
but come to think of it, two of my girls only hung out with the boys...less drama and all.
very sweet.

[Lisa (qtpies7)]

I'm psycho when girls call my boys. I make it so miserable that they encourage girls not to call. LOL
I don't care what century this is, I don't like girls calling boys. And we do not allow it without reason, like homework or information. No long chats. And never in private.
We don't have problems with boys calling our girls, yet. That one won't go over well, lol. The only ones who call have reasons to, and we know them well.

Its a battle, though! have fun with the years to come, it does not get easier.

[mimi2six]

This is just the beginning! That handsome, charming fella is going to have all the gals calling him before he's grown. By the way.....go ahead and listen outside the door; we all did from time to time!!!

[Karly]

Oh. My. Word. My son is in first grade and reading this? Made me puke a little. THIS MUST NOT HAPPEN TO ME!

[Kelly]

I had a moment like this earlier in the year when the boy came home and announced that C down the street told him that Q liked him. I, being amused, asked him, "What does that mean?"

And he replied with shrugged shoulders and a mumbled,"I dunno."

And so it begins. How do we make it end? At least for a little while?lol

[daring one]

I love this post Shannon. LOVE. How cute is he?

[Jessica K]

Hey! This is my first time reading your blog, and I think I'm gonna cry. My oldest boy is five and already has a girlfriend. He has informed me that mommy's kisses are embarassing in front of his girlfriend, even though he's not going to kiss 'til he's a teenager.
If you have time, come check out my blog at JustJessie.typepad.com/justjessie

[Sarah's in the Midst of It]

I am SO not ready for this!!

[Janet]

This is my first time reading as well, and truly a great post and blog. My 3 sons are 14, 17 and 18+. It just does not get easier when the threshold of girls calling is crossed with each one. However, I have learned that i try to stay involved as best as possible as you mentioned with a few post call questions. Thankfully the youngest still "talks" to me of lunchtime conversations, track sideline issues, band trip gossip, who danced with whom on the DC class trip, etc. The book, "Talk so they'll listen, Listen so they'll talk" keeps playing the tape over and over in my mind. :) Doesn't EVER seem to go out of style, despite cultural attempts. Thanks for the good read.