Wait. What?

Colin informed me the other day that he now has a girlfriend, but not the kissing kind.  Oh, and by the way, so does Chris.  But his girlfriend isn’t the kissing kind either.

Wait.  What?  

My nine year old twins have girlfriends?!

After the long, open-mouthed, incredulous staring was done, my brain finally kicked into action and started subtly asking some questions.  As their mother I am extremely interested in why on earth my nine year olds feel the need to label a relationship as boyfriend/girlfriend. 

Unfortunately I did not get quite the answers I was looking for; instead I got a whole lot more. 
Somehow this conversation turned on me and for the reader’s enjoyment I will simply give you some direct quotes from my children.  You will see how I have a lot more on my hands here than my boys entering the crazy territory that is young love.

“Mom doesn’t want a boyfriend, but if she did she could just go buy one.”

“Mom doesn’t need a boyfriend because I am going to live with her forever.”

“I guess you could have a boyfriend, but definitely not the kissing kind.”

“Our Mom doesn’t need a boyfriend.”  

“Wait, do you want a boyfriend, Mom?”

“But if you had a boyfriend, would you want the kissing kind or the other kind?”

Wait.  What?

How did this turn into a conversation about me?  

I guess there are some important lessons to be learned here.  First of all, I need to start really working on Nick and his insistence that he is never leaving home.  I love that boy to the moon and back, but eventually he will simply have to go.  Secondly, it appears that perhaps I have been unknowingly setting myself up for trouble through my single-by-choice-and-loving-it life over the past five and half years.  And finally, Chris and I need to talk about how one cannot simply buy a boyfriend or, more importantly in his case, a girlfriend.  Acquiring a boyfriend is not like running to the store for a gallon of milk.  Come to think of it, perhaps I should do some more investigation into exactly how he got his girlfriend.  If that piggy bank feels a little light, we have a problem.   

I also find it interesting that this conversation happens to closely coincide with my declaration that it is time for the Nikki-as-a-hermit days to end.  Not that no longer being a hermit automatically means a boyfriend, but it seems that I now have some unexpected work to do with these boys.  And I am pretty sure it will be a lot more involved than acquiring a gallon of milk.  

On the bright side, Alec has a clear understanding of the difference between want and need. At least I have that much going for me.