Puppy love (or dogged pursuit)?

My daughter, at age 6, has fallen for her first crush. I think it's her father's fault--he was already two-timing on his girlfriends at 6. I, on the other hand, had much more sense and waited until 8 before I fell in love.

Anaya didn't leave us to do much guesswork. Early the morning her chosen suitor was coming over to visit, she confided to me, "Mommy, you know how Zane is rough sometimes? Well, I'm going to help him change. I'm going to dress really beautiful today, like a queen! Then he will want to be nice!" Soon she pranced out of her room in a long pink skirt. The mere mention that her hair didn't look like a queen's sent her scurrying to the bathroom to brush it. (This could be contrasted with her typical attitude, demonstrated a couple of days before when Saralyn asked to brush her hair and Anaya protested, "No, I just want it to be the way Jesus made it.")

We were headed to a women's Bible study, and without enough room for all of the children in my car, I had my friend Lindsey pick up Anaya. Anaya's friend Aile, also age 6, was sitting in the back when Anaya clambered in. Lindsey later filled me in on the details of their conversation.

"Aile," Anaya announced, "we are gonna change the world! First we'll change states, then countries. We need to change the way boys are, and make them nice and kind."

Aile was game to join in the fun, so they began naming friends who could help them. Aile suggested, "I know a boy..."

"I don't think that is going to work," Anaya cut her off.

"But he's a nice boy," Aile pointed out. "And what about Zane?"

Anaya threw her hands in the air. "That's the whole reason we are doing this!"