a little dating

On Wednesday evenings, I help with an AWANA program at our church called Truth and Training. It is for children in grades three through six. A couple weeks ago, I was talking with a young boy ...

"How's school?" I asked.
"Stupid," he blurted out.
"Why is it stupid?" I questioned.
"Because kids date," he answered.
"Yeah," I agreed ... "That is pretty stupid."

He is only two years older than my Halo ... I thought sadly. He is in sixth grade and happens to go to a government school ... but the same could happen at private schools or in church groups. Dating also seems unwise for high school kids ... unless, I suppose, you were in the upper grades and ready to get married at eighteen or nineteen. Dating that doesn't lead to marriage generally produces some type of "baggage". What good could possibly come from dating if marriage isn't in the near future??? I can't think of anything ... can you???

This leads me to another thought ... why do some parents tell their small preschool-age children that they have a boyfriend or girlfriend??? I guess I don't know why ... but it seems that a little girl who gets used to the idea that she has a boyfriend ... will be more comfortable having real boyfriends at a young age (and vice-versa).