here’s why i’m talking with strangers.
a group of three mothers and six kids (five boys, one girl) get on the T. there are two empty seats on either side of me. the mom sits on one, the little girl on the other. she’s holding a rock. i stand up and offer to switch seats with the 4yo girl so she can be next to her mother. the girl shakes her head no, so i sit back down as the mother smiles her thanks.
me to girl : is that your pet rock?
her: yes. i’m going to paint it.
me: *noticing her pink shirt, pink leggings, pink socks, pink shoes.* pink?
her: yes. *waves hand over the top of the rock* spray paint. maybe stripes.
me: that sounds lovely.
her: i like pink.
her mom, noticing my pink vest and pink scarf, smiles.
me: me too! i”ve got some pink going on here.
the girl smiles at my clothes, but the smile doesn’t stick because meanwhile, the other kids, the boys from the group are sitting across from us having their own conversation.
a 5yo boy says: i’m not in love with her.
the other boys say something i don’t hear over the screeching of the train’s brakes, but it definitely riles him up because the boy says again: i do not love her. we were never getting married.
her, swinging her feet higher and higher, looks over at her mom: they’re making fun of me.
and my heart breaks a little that she, this adorable bundle of pink, is so aware at such a young age. and i can’t wait for the day that kid realizes he does want to get married and publicly declares so.
maybe even while riding the T.
Abigail Mumford 
Aww. That’s adorable! Poor little pink thing! He didn’t deserve her.
i know! it was adorable and heartbreaking all jumbled up together, but hey, isn’t that love?
So cute! I love conversations with kids. They just say whatever they’re thinking.
they really do just say whatever, which reminds me, do you follow @preschoolgems on twitter? it’s a collection of comments straight from preschoolers. classic.
Just went an looked. Ha! Out of the mouths of babes… *grin*
it’s one of my favorite “random” twitters to follow. some of the stuff that’s reported is so strange, but it always makes me giggle.
this is so cute. you were like her pink fairy godmother. that boy is SO in love with her.
I certainly wished I had a magic wand to wave to make the boy act older than his age to stop the little girl’s sadness.
Aw, the broken heart. It’s all apart of life. If anyone of my prior broken hearts hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t be where am I today and guess what. Where I am is pretty freakin’ terrific. Don’t worry, she is too smart to end up with a dummy who doesn’t realize right now how great she is and one day, she’ll be the one telling him, “No way, no how.” That’s how it works.
i know she will, but i couldn’t help but wish she didn’t have to go down a broken road to find that realization.
(man, she wasn’t even my kid. think of how i’ll be if that was my own child! sheesh.)