Crush

Ellie has a couple of friends who are two years older than she (nine). Their mothers have been talking about bras lately. Bras! I'm still talking about overnight pull-ups! So not there yet.

But apparently we are somewhere else. We've never made much of the whole boy/girl thing. We don't watch a lot of princess movies, we don't ever talk about our friends' sons as "boyfriends," we don't tease the girls about "flirting" or otherwise try to sexualize them and their young relationships.

Nonetheless, they live in the world and Ellie definitely has her first crush.

Fortunately, she has it in perfectly appropriate 7-year-old style. She pokes MJ, her dance teacher's son and an assistant teacher in her ballet/tap/tumbling class, to show her interest. He's a good sport about this. She talks about MJ a lot. When I woke her up for school last Tuesday Ellie sat bolt upright in bed and said,

"It's Tuesday! I have dance today! I'm going to see MJ!"

Yes.

But my favorite is the bit that happens outside of dance class. "Wait, Mommy, I have to go back to my room to get Pretend MJ." Pretend MJ comes with us much of the time, and always needs to be led by the hand. I like Pretend MJ quite well.

Pictured: Ada, Ellie, MJ (and a couple of teachers)