Last Sunday we took Dani to a joint birthday party for three of his classmates. One of them was 3 years old last December making him the youngest in the class. School in fact. The other two kids were 4 years old making them the two oldest in the class and 10 months older than Dani. A lot at that young age.

We arrived at the same time as one of the boys Dani mentions from time to time. The two ran off into the kid’s labyrinth of slides, ball pits and padded stairs. They played together for a while and then in walked Clara M^*. Dani noticed her. The stalking began…

Of Course it’s only a Crush…

I know it is just a toddler’s crush. His first real crush, although Daniela DR^* possibly qualifies. That was over a year ago in nursery however and neither of the two nippers could hold anything remotely resembling a conversation.

Back to the present, and both Dani and Clara can chatter away without hardly pausing for breath. OK, probably not always saying much with any coherence but you get the point. I already know that Dani is a good talker for his age but she seemed to match him word for word. Probably mostly instructions though if little girls are still the same as when I was a kid. I will have to assume as much because Dani would never divulge.

One of the three joint birthday kids was Paula. Dani often mentions her too on the rare occasion he talks about school and classmates. A huge honour indeed; to get a mention in the same sentence as Clara.

Watching them play it all became clear. Paula is always there because she is Clara’s friend. She was definitely trying to get Dani out of the way. Has Dani been rumbled as a stalker by Clara’s best friend? Not only was she clearly telling him to go away and play elsewhere but at times she tried to push him away. Fair play to the lad, he is not easily put off. Paula gave up long before Dani showed any signs of quitting.

Previous

While it is funny to joke about him being a stalker the lad does have previous.

One of his mum’s friends has a daughter Irene (pronounced Ee-ray-nay in Spanish) and Dani is besotted with her. Whenever they have met at some party get-together he follows her everywhere like a little lap dog. Irene being almost three years older than Dani is old enough to see the funny side. Actually she seems to love having Dani under her spell. She has him fetching and carrying and basically running around like her own…well, lap dog.

All parents like to think of their kids as being the cutest, the most attractive etc… That said I can’t help thinking that in 16 years’ time or so all these girls are going to be lining up to go out with my little boy.

^* Note that the surnames are deliberately concealed.