Young Love

The Honey Girl is smitten with a gorgeous little boy at church. His name is Jonah, and he is about 5. She talks about him a lot, gets very excited when we're going someplace where Jonah might be, and enjoys our Thursday night home group because she may get the opportunity to sit beside him on the couch and gaze at him while he watches a movie.

He, of course, doesn't know she exists except as a sword-fighting, ball-kicking, costume wearing tomboy!

So the Honey Girl's mind is constantly aware of opportunities that might give her the chance to draw the name "Jonah" into the conversation. She refers to him as "MY Jonah"!

On a recent drive home, Pants and the Honey Girl were safely strapped into their seats behind me, chatting amicably. This is a rare occurence. Usually trips to and from our home involve epidodes of Car Wars : a series of brief but intense milary-style attacks on each other, complete with missile launching, screaming and assorted insults.

So I resolved to keep myself seperate from this unusual interlude by simply listening and not partaking in the general pleasantries being exchanged behind me.

Until I heard what they were actually discussing.....

"Boys have a bottom and a todger, and girls have two bottoms" Pants was carefully explaining to his sister. They discussed this between themselves, including functions, location and humour of those particular body parts.

And, inevitably, they came across a question they needed me to answer. So I gently explained what the "real" names for those particular anatomical structures were, for boys and then for girls.

The Honey Girl became quite excited at this point and was almost cheering by the time I paused in my biologically correct definitions and labelling.

"A va-jonah?! I have a va-jonah?! A va-jonah?! Not va-jonah from church, but a different va-jonah. My own va-jonah" ......

And so I imagine the time will soon come when I am explaining to Jonah's Mum, probably amidst a serious sermon or moment of silence during prayer, why the Honey Girl is calling out to "her" *Va-Jonah*!!

And I guess I'll have to cross Jonah off my list of favourite boys' names now.