Confessions of a Hopeless Romantic: I am HOT stuff

So...I pretty much have 4 boyfriends. Did I mention that they are all cute, smart, creative, loyal, and pay me many compliments?...Well, they do, and you better believe I love every single one of them. On a scale of 1-10, how jealous are you of me right now?

Before you hate me too much, you should probably hear the rest of the story.

You see, these important men in my life are about 4 years old and are in my Primary Class. I know, I know....my love life stinks right now. Is it weird that I kind of love it when they fight over who gets to sit in my lap, or talk to me? Is it weird that I look forward to seeing the cute pictures they draw, or the way their little eyes light up when I do something silly. I love all of these things, because they show me that I am making a difference in their lives. They show me that I have become a person they can trust; a person that they look forward to seeing every week....and let me tell you, a child's trust is a precious thing to gain.

Today, Caleb, one of my little men turned to me and said "I heart you". I thought that I had misheard him, so I asked him to repeat himself. He again said, "I heart you" and then told me that his mom says that to him and that it means "I love you". I started laughing and told him that "I heart him" too. You see, in a 4 year-old's world, it is not scary or taboo to tell someone that you love them. Teaching these kids makes me sad about a few things. I am sad that in order to be considered an adult, we need to give up on some of the things we did, or believed in as a child. I think that boys are particularly affected by this, and not always in a positive way.

Think about it. When boys are little, it is not weird for them to tell a girl that they like her, or that she is pretty. Little kids always have "boyfriends" or "girlfriends" because they are not afraid to let someone know how they feel. When little boys are upset, they do not have a problem telling you about what made them sad, nor do they feel ashamed for crying. It is only as they get older and are taught what "real-men" should behave like, that they sometimes lose those important qualities. Suddenly, it is not manly to commit, express yourself, or cry. I hate this way of thinking. I want my future husband to be comfortable expressing his fears, dreams, and successes with me. I want him to know that he can be vulnerable, that we can help each other. He does not have to be completely together 100% of the time because I sure as heck wont!

I think that it is important to teach boys that being a man is about more than being physically tough. Being a man involves being honest, compassionate, loyal, hard-working, and genuine. As far as emotions go, I better at least see my hubs cry the day of our wedding, when children are born, and when he laughs :)

So, as girls, the next time we get frustrated at a guy's lack of communication when it comes to feelings, or at how long it takes him to say that important three -word sentence...maybe we should think that just like we have to learn to trust him not to break our heart, he has to learn to trust us with his. He has to know that we will not think less of him for being himself and for being imperfect.