Good-bye, Love You

Anna said "Good-bye --- love you."   It wasn't when I dropped her off for school.   It wasn't when I tucked her into bed.   Nope, it was when I was getting ready to take her home after lunch {Since she isn't required to go to Kindergarten all day, we frequently spend the afternoons together on my day off}.

I already know that her class of 28 kids is into dramatic good-byes.  The last time I picked up Anna at lunchtime, there were hugs all around, super-dramatic hugs. You'd think they weren't going to see her again for weeks!  Today, Anna was packing her backpack in the hallway when her friend told her, "You better go in and say good-bye to everyone." So Anna pops her head into the classroom and waves a big, dramatic good-bye to the class.  I can hear a chorus of kids responding, "Good-bye Anna." Then she casually says good-bye to the few kids who were still in the hallway hanging up their coats after recess,"Good-bye Zack.  Good-bye Wyatt.  Good-bye Tara.  Good-bye Will.  Love you." You know that record-player, needle-scratching, rewind sound effect they use sitcoms when something dramatic happens?  That's the sound I was hearing in my mind after those words came out of Anna's mouth.  Rewind.  Did I really just hear her casually drop "love you" into her good-bye?  Yes, she might have a Kindergarten crush on Will.

Teasing little kids about boyfriends or girlfriends happens to be on the list of things I really dislike. Kids have enough things to worry about. That stuff can wait until they are grown up. However, I think I might have unintentionally started her worrying about finding someone to marry. In Kindergarten. Oh my goodness.

Last summer Anna suddenly got really worried about starting school, so I was reminding her of how fun it would be and how nice her teacher is and how she already knows so many of the kids in her class. There really are so many nice kids in her class that she and I both know from preschool or Sunday school {I taught Anna's Sunday school class for the last two years}. Anyway, I might have been daydreaming out loud a little when I went on to say something like, "Just think, these kids will be your friends for a long, long time. Maybe someday when you grow up, you'll even marry someone from your school." Oh could I just rewind and erase that?

Slow down Anna.  You're growing up so fast. I'm still adjusting to the fact that you're already in Kindergarten.