Unwanted Attentions

My daughter, M, has a suitor. An unwanted suitor. She's had them before, but never one quite so persistant.

They've known one another since preschool. They're now in 5th grade. I don't think it would be so much of an issue if he were well liked by other kids, but this little boy is often the butt of nasty rumors and jokes. It breaks my heart.

Of course I don't know what he's really like at school. I haven't seen the kid beyond an occasional hello over the years. M says he's disgusting, but most boys are disgusting at that age. I think her perceptions are formed largely around what her friends think, and none of them like him.

That makes me sad, but again, I don't know what he's really like at school. I can tell she wishes there was some sort of magic answer to make the problem go away. All I could tell her was to pray about it, that Heavenly Father would tell her heart what to do when the time was right.

Last night, almost as if he knew M had been talking about him earlier, he stopped at our front door with freshly picked flowers in hand (I think only one of them was from our own yard, lol). I knew he wanted to see M, just as I knew she was cowering on the couch unwilling to come to the door.

I told him the truth - she was ready for bed. Which she was. I promised to give her the flowers, and he walked off, unable to see the girl who's somehow captured his fragile little heart.

I think a part of M appreciated the thought. She wanted to put the flowers in a vase, but we couldn't find one. So they're currently wilting on the top of my sink.