I was lucky enough to accompany Logan to a birthday party of one of his classmates over the weekend at Skate City. Going into it, I wondered if I might have a moment or two of feeling emotional – that I might have to let up on the reigns a little and see if Logan wanted me to join him on the roller rink or if he wanted to just try it on his own with his friends a while first. Logan doesn’t have a lot of skating experience, so that was where my (slight) concern came for his level of comfort out there without me to hold onto. Well, I asked him what he would prefer and was ready for any answer he would give me.

By the way, a good friend of mine calls it being a helicopter mom-that’s when you hover so close to your child over everything he does just to make sure that it all goes perfectly and in case it doesn’t, you’re right there to swoop in and pick up the pieces so fast that he barely has time to view them scattered upon the ground. Helicopter mom. That’s me. But this weekend at the skate party I was really ready to mature a little in this area and embrace that he’s getting bigger.

He told me he wanted to try it on his own first, without me.

I was OK! I told him that was fine and I would just be on the side watching him if he needed me or changed his mind. So, there he went, with a handful of little friends, out onto the rink. He was great! But before long, I saw some other adults out there having a big time and I decided I actually wanted to go roller skating myself! So, I went and payed the $6 and joined my son and his friends. I don’t think I cramped his style too much, besides, his friends know me and I think they think I’m alright!

With that, it was a little later when Logan and a little girlfriend (but not in the girlfriend way) and I were sitting off to the side for a rest when another little boy from their class came in with his dad. This was when it got interesting. The little girl we were with, we’ll call her “Amy” let out a long, disgusted sigh at the sight of this other little boy, who we’ll call “Thomas.” Here’s what happened next, after I turned to her with surprise:

Me: Amy, what’s wrong?

Amy: (Scooting closer to me on the bench with a wrinkled up nose and rolling her eyes.) I don’t like Thomas.

Me: Why not?

Amy: (Sighing) Because everyday in school he tells me that he has a crush on me and I don’t like it!

Me: Oh no! Well, have you asked him to stop?

Amy: Yes! All the time I ask him to stop and he never does!

Me: Do you tell him that it makes you uncomfortable?

Amy: Yes! And he just keeps telling me that he has a crush on me and sometimes he tells the others, too!

Me: I’m so sorry to hear that it makes you so upset…maybe next time he doesn’t listen to you, you ought to ask your teacher to have him stop.

(I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t sort of cool to be confided in with a little first-grade girl talk…!)

Before I realize it, Logan has caught on and asks Amy and I what we’re talking about. Amy stands up by Logan and leans in real close to his face – in perfect secretive form-and tells him that Thomas always tells her that he has a crush on her. Fast forward five or six years to when they are tweens and I can imagine this scene perfectly. It seems unusually early to be experiencing this kind of exchange, though, now.

Logan looks at Amy with a kind of look that says, “So whats the big deal?” He shifts his eyes to me as if he were looking for help or something to say. I said, “Logan, a crush is when a boy likes a girl kind of a lot.” He said, “I know! I have a crush on (we’ll call her…) “Sara.” He said it so matter-of-fact, too! But, as his mom, I really don’t think he has an actual crush on Sara. As far as he’s concerned, he just likes being her friend a lot. I’m pretty confident he hasn’t turned that corner yet of understanding how boys “like” girls and vice versa. I hope I’m not being naive, here, though.

See, look at his innocent, young face right there! It’s too soon! Besides, after the whole exchange with Amy was over, Logan told me that his other friend announced at lunch the other day that he had a crush on Logan’s Capri Sun. So, I think we’re still in the clear!

Phew!