Oh my where to begin. Sunday afternoon the phone rang, neither Deke or I recognized the number that came up on the caller id. Deke answered it and to our surprise came the voice of a little girl. "Is Hunter there?" she asked. Deke looked at me shocked, we both smiled and Deke called for Hunter. Hunter looking as equally shocked as we were took the phone and cautiously said "Hello?" "Hi Hunter" she excitedly replied and quickly started in "How was your summer?" Hunter realizing who it was started talking to her about her summer and answering all her questions. Every now and again getting akwardly quiet, looking for help from us as we urged him to say something. "Ask her if she is excited for second grade" we prompted him. "Uh...so are you excited for second grade" he finally blurted out. I seriously was dying I wanted to squeeze him it was so cute. "Deke I have to watch Em in the high chair, help him please" I asked him. I sat in the kitchen trying to listen to their conversation. Suddenly quiet, then brought on track again with help from dad. It was cracking me up. Hunter who is normally one of the most socially capable children I know, extremely comfortable with conversation, was clamming up. As the conversation started to wrap up I once again heard a long pause. Deke suggested a topic and still Hunter sat quiet. Finally a quiet murmur of something and then "Yeah so I got to the last world of Donkey Kong" and after a minute or so the conversation was over with words of "have fun for the rest of your sumer" and "see you at school." He hung up the phone and I heard him heading into the kitchen. Trying to downplay the whole thing I asked him how she was doing. "Good" he said and yet I knew more was coming. "Mom, do you know what she said to me?" he said. She said "Hunter I can't believe I am telling you this but I think I love you ." Trying hard not to even really react I calmly asked "Then what did you say?" "I said uh yeah I miss you, yeah so guess what I got to the last world of Donkey Kong." "Then what did she say?" I asked him. "Then she told me that she had Donkey Kong too and I was telling her how to beat one of the lava levels." I sat there thinking about everything he had just told me. "Mom" he started again "Why do girls always like think they love people all the time and just talk about that kind of stuff?" "It's just like we don't need to worry about loving people we are just kids, hello. I mean we can like be friends and like each other but girls at school are always like saying they want to marry me. It's just weird." Laughing to myself and grateful for his reaction I hugged him "Yeah buddy you know what you can have lots of friends that are girls and even like them but you don't need to worry about girlfriends or being in love until you are at least sixteen." Off he headed to play LEGO's and in I headed to talk to Deke. I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh or cry about it. Maybe a little bit of both. It was sweet to hear him try to communicate with a girl one on one on the phone and get his first glimspe of the complex world that is a female. However I wanted to cry thinking about what she said to him because they are only seven. I know that all to soon Deke and I will have to help guide him through the dating process and deal with the girl thing. It seems like a lot of girls are so aggressive these days, much more forward even being a little possessive. I can't help it, I worry about it. I guess I am just thankful that for now he is still my science loving, LEGO builder, tree climbing second grader that is not worried about any of that right now.
On another note about one of the million things I love about this guy...we went to the library and I let Hunter walk a little ways away from us over to the older kids book section to pick out his books. "Ready to check out?" I asked him. "Yep" he said and we headed over to the self checkout. We were almost done checking out when he put his last book on the counter. It was this: "Hydrogen and Noble Gases?" I asked him. "Yeah mom look at this page it is really cool" he started in. For the next couple of days his nose was in that book off and on telling me all sorts of "amazing" things about Hydrogen and other elements. A couple days later Jaden and Nathan came over to play LEGO's. As Hunter opened the door I saw him with the book in hand, "Hey guys do you know what happens when Hydrogen mixes with ............... he started in, turning to the correct page to show them. "This book is so cool, did you know that.................." oh my goodness. Hunter may be the only seven year old I know that would not only choose this book out of all the choices in the library but actually really enjoy it and read it cover to cover. Where did we get him? Such a crack up.
How about the conversation he had a few weeks ago with his friend Tyler at lunch. A little bit of background about Tyler. He is the youngest in a family of all boys and is the youngest by about ten years from his next sibling. The boys were eating lunch and talking about the little baby I babysit. "Yeah his mom is having another baby too" I told Tyler. "Yeah she is going to have to nurse two babies!" Hunter said to Tyler nodding. Tyler looking completely confused and unsure said "What?" Hunter sighing and shaking his head as if this the term was so obvious replied "You know....breastfeeding." "Ouch." Tyler looked at Hunter awkwardly and quite uncomfortable then looked right down at his plate and kept on eating. Hunter, totally oblivious that this was not a common lunchtime conversation picked up his sandwich, took a bite and headed on to the next topic. I had to leave the room I laughed so hard I thought I would pee my pants. Wow very different worlds as Hunter is growing up with two little sisters one of whom fairly recently stopped breastfeeding. However still not a lunchtime subject. Only Hunter. Only Hunter.
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