The stories that I'm going to incorporate into this blog are dedicated to my friend because for some reason, he likes hearing these types of stories. Maybe he's just a good listener/reader. =P

One of the best ways to remain in someone's memories is by complimenting them. Most of us like compliments, regardless of how embarrassed we get. Sometimes it can be an ego-booster. On the other hand, rejection is probably one of the worst things that can happen to an ego. I can almost feel for the guys who tough it out and go for it. You guys deserve a lot of credit for doing what you do. I'm sure a lot of girls feel bad for having to reject a guy, but there really is no other way to do it if the feelings are not mutual. The guys can always be led on, but eventually, the cold, hard truth comes out, and I think it's probably better for the guy to know it's not going to happen from the start rather than get his hopes up or waste more of his time.

The kids I work with all think they are pretty mature, and I wonder, man.. was I like that at their age? I look at an eleven-year-old and wonder how he could already be with girlfriend #4. I listen to twelve-year-olds talking about their exs from third grade and listen in amazement. I look at a thirteen-year-old and wonder... how can she be in a relationship? She's just a kid. I look at a fourteen-year-old and wonder, how is he in a relationship? What do they know about being in a relationship!? Then I took a little trip down memory. So here's some stories for my friend and you too if you're interested.

I remember the first time boys told me they loved me. That was in first grade. What did I know in first grade? I knew I had a pretty mean teacher and that the substitute teacher was a b!atch, but at the time, I didn't know the word b!atch, so she was probably just a mean, old insert whatever word is used by first graders. I don't remember their names, but I remember being late to class and when I walked into class, both of them waved the 'I love you' (sign language) sign to me and repeated 'I love you!' I think they both wanted something from me the previous day, and I had said I would decide who to give it to later. I guess they thought that telling me they loved me would get it. What did they know about loving a girl... probably not very much. However, even at that young age, they knew that lying about love could get them somewhere. Haha.. boys were trained early.

Then there was second grade. I remember getting my first real compliment from a boy who sat next to me. My mom used to tie my hair up differently all the time, and I guess this kid liked one of the styles because he said straight out, "I like your hair up this way." I thought that was really nice of him. Haha. We didn't like each other, but he was trained to be a gentleman at an early age. I think that has to do with being raised by much older sisters. :) There was also the class flirt. He was the boyfriend of like half the girls in the class. I didn't like him, although he was a nice kid. Afterschool one day, I was looking at the class rabbit, and he came over to join me. (For those of you who post on the forum, we've had some discussions about pick-up lines. Check his out.) He looked at me and said, "Can I kiss you?" I said, "No! Kiss the rabbit!" Then he kissed me and ran off. At this early age, he could not take no for an answer, and I did not know to sensitively tell him I did not want to be kissed by him.

I remember my best friend got mad at me in third grade because the boy that she liked always talked and called me. The boy and I were just friends! I didn't like him, he didn't like me, and we were all supposed to be friends! He knew she liked him, and that's why he talked to me more because he knew I didn't like him. Turns out he's gay anyway.

So the lesson of love, relationships, and life continued. I was in fifth grade when I really got asked out. He was the new guy in school. I remember during lunchtime, one of my classmates who was walking by my lunch table with the new guy said, "He thinks you're cute." A few days later, the new guy came up to me afterschool and asked if I'd go out with him. I said, "No!" He proceeded to ask me several more times to which I answered "No!" I guess even at the fifth-grade level, boys still don't take no for an answer, and I still did not know how to be more sensitive. I think fifth grade is pretty rough for boys. I remember these two friends liked the same girl, and they got her chocolates for Valentine's Day. She refused them and gave them back, but her mom forced her to keep them. She was upset. I'm sure the guys felt rejected, but they were the types to pretend to shrug off. You could still read the disappointment. I could see the disappointment in the girls who liked the two guys, too. One of the girls that liked the two guys got a dozen roses from another boy in our class, but she didn't like him, so she would not accept the roses. He was pretty sad. Even at that age girls were not gold-diggers and did not lead guys on. ;) GEEZ.. we were in fifth grade! Our class was one big love triangle. I remember the couple that stayed together the longest in the fifth grade. When they signed yearbooks, the boyfriend made sure he signed his name right next to her's. He 'loved' her. How can all that stuff happen in fifth grade?! I was ten! Looking at it from a fifth-grader's eyes, that stuff is very probable, possible, and happens! Looking at it now as a twenty-three-year-old, and I say, "NO WAY."

When I got to middle school, the boy thing got more serious and complex. We were getting to know boys from other schools. The thing to do was to visit people at other schools. There were plenty of 'steady' couples and lots of 'dating' and 'talking.' In eighth grade, I got a ring from some guy who called me his 'little sister' because I was 'talking/dating' his friend. Not only did I get a ring from him, he also gave me a mug filled with folded 'I love you' stars. Later I found out he liked me. So much deception. At his tender age of thirteen, he knew to pretend to be my 'big brother' to get on my good side, to get closer. Then there were high school boys coming around. That was strange. One of my friends was pretty mature-looking, and some guy saw her while he was driving to HIGH SCHOOL. They dated for a while, but he did not know she was a middle-schooler. Ahh.. deception at such an early age.

In some ways I can understand that things should be fast in high school. So much of the activities promote relationships - dances, proms, that sort of thing. I had my first serious relationship at thirteen, one month away from being fourteen! The relationship lasted for a long time, too! So how was it that I thought I was mentally ready for a relationship when I look at the KIDS nowadays and am so baffled that they can be in these committed relationships thinking they understand pain, love, and all that relationships entail. Well, that leads into all the stories that are part of high school. Too much to get into, and I've already typed a lot.

All I can say is... little kids know a lot... don't underestimate them. Kids know everything. It's the adults that don't anything.