Wearing your heart on your sleeve!

J’s a funny one. As a rule she doesn’t like boys. She’s rarely nasty or mean, she just ignores them. Except when they get in her way, and then they’re sorry. She seems to be of the opinion they’re not worth the trouble they cause, and I suppose it’s having two older brothers and all their friends who visit, that has wised up before her time.

Having said that, there was an exception. A friend of her eldest brother, and it’s the funniest thing ever to watch her flirt with him. And yes, I did say flirt. She may only be four, but she’s long known that her looks mixed a giggly smile and a touch of shyness, works wonders on the male of the species.

A few years ago this lad didn’t mind the silly attention of a mates little sister, but now he’s twelve and avoids her, as it’s just not cool to have her giggling wildly as she alternates between chasing him about, and hiding behind me to conceal her blushes. But he’s too old to be called a friend and invited over to play with her, and boys her own age are invisible as far as she’s concerned.

When she started big school I felt bad for her. We had hoped she would get a place at the all girls convent, and she was looking forward to not having boys in class. But this wasn’t to be and she’s ended up in a mixed school. As it’s turned out we’re several weeks into term and I reckon this school is better than our first choice, but for the boys.

And there’s one boy, Hamish, in particular who been bothering her. Like her, he’s a third child with two older brothers, so you can guess he’s a bloody mischief maker an energetic soul. More amazing, they share their birthday.

By the end of the first week she was complaining about his hair pulling antics, and soon she was moaning about how he followed her around in breaks and ruined her games in the playground.

So I sort Hamish out, to see for myself who this little rascal was.

The boy is gorgeous! Tall for his age, broader than most, cute strawberry-blond hair, blue eyes to die for, and the cheekiest smile you’re ever likely to come across. Very like his father actually, but back to Hamish.

It occurred to me that she was a lucky girl maybe he wasn’t trying to hassle J, just get her attention. So I suggested she play with him. Unfortunately J was appalled with my outrageous idea, and instead went out of her way to correct his errant behaviour by telling her teacher every time Hamish so much as sat lopsided on his chair.

For a while this seemed to work, and I went nearly ten days without hearing his name spoken in her damning tone. Then she was off school on Wednesday, and I think he must have missed her because on Thursday she came running out of class glaring angrily over her shoulder, as Hamish followed in hot pursuit.

Tagging behind J, I did my best to hide my smile as she strode ahead pointedly ignoring poor Hamish chasing along and shouting her name over and over.

Yesterday J attended a fancy dress party and as my princess jigged with the other princesses on the dance floor, Spiderman arrived. Did he walk in? No, he preferred the running, drop to you knees and bowl the girls over approach. Literally. J was unimpressed to recognise that cheeky smile under all the make-up. For the next two hours she squared her shoulders and glared at him whenever he dared to get close. Another mother noticed and laughed with me as we watched him try and come up with more ingenious approaches. None worked.

Then this morning J asked to come to rugby with P and I. It wasn’t till we arrived on pitch that I admitted Hamish would likely be around because I knew his older brothers played. J gave me a filthy look, but said nothing.

He didn’t show till the final forty minutes. Then arrived in his typical boisterous fashion by hurtling up to J at full speed, grinning from ear to ear. I was talking with another mother and wasn’t up for being used as a hiding post, and shushed her away when she began complaining.

But then something happened. She had no allies to hide behind, and nowhere to stomp off to. He finally had a golden opportunity to get her attention, and he didn't waste it!

Within minutes he was chasing her about. But J doesn’t like being chased, and for once he had the sense to try a different tactic and suggested she race him up the field.

This worked and soon he had her laughing and smiling! Soon she was chasing him!!

And I know she now likes him, because as we went to leave she looked for him to say goodbye. But he was on another pitch with his mother, and J sobbed when I refused to walk that far out of our way.

I can’t wait for tomorrow to see what will happen! Will things return to their former chilly state? Or has Hamish really won her heart? And will she be bounding out of bed next Sunday morning for an opportunity to see him without her clasp of friends in tow?

Being a parent is fun!