In which Hannah has her first lesson about little boys...

She came running into the house, tears streaming down her face, and threw herself at my arms.

"MY LOVE TANK IS EMPTY!" she wailed.
"What happened?" I said, smoothing her hair, pulling her up on my lap.
"I jus knee a ug," she hiccuped between sobs.
"What?" I couldn't understand her through the tears.
"I jus knee a ug!" she said a little more hysterical.
"A hug?" She nodded. I pulled her closer to me. "What happened outside? Did someone hurt you?"
"No. I jus duh lie be pigged uh" Hannah said.
"Honey, I can't understand you. You need to try and calm down." I coaxed.
"I jus. duh. lie. ih. when. kids. pig. me. uh!" she said, her chest heaving.
"You don't like it when kids pick you up?"
"Yeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh" Hannah wailed again.
"Who picked you up?" I asked.
"Oooooooowwaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Owen?"
"yeeaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

I tried to suppress a giggle. Owen is probably the only child in our neighborhood who is smaller than Hannah despite being seven months older than her.  The mental image of Owen heisting Hannah up in the air cracked me up. Since I was going for sympathy, I didn't think she'd appreciate my amusement.

"Oh Hannah, little boys play rough. They don't know how to be nice to little girls, because they're rough with each other. Don't you ever see Joshua with his friends? What do they do? They greet each other by tackling each other to the ground and then wrestle.  It will be YEARS before little boys learn how to act with girls. They're like sixteen, no, maybe more like in their twenties...well, actually, I'm not sure boys ever really learn how to act around girls. They still like to pester, and tease, and pick on, and tickle even when they're all grown up. But when they're really little, well, it's kind of like gorillas who have to pound their chest. Show off...Actually, even when they're old too..."

Hannah's let out a watery giggle over the gorilla comment.

"So, Owen probably likes you, and decided to show you the only way he knows how."
"I don't like it." Hannah said, as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"I know, Baby. No little girls does. I was picked on plenty."
"Can I go watch T.V.?" Crisis averted. She slid off my lap and made a b-line for the living room.
"Sure." I said.

Joshua came in the backdoor a few minutes later.

"So, what happened? Did Owen pick Hannah up?" I asked.

Joshua looked a little sheepish while he demonstrated with his arms as he explained, "Yeah, you know. He did one of those big bear hug, wrestle like things, like all little boys like to do to one another. Hannah didn't like it." His expression told me he was well familiar with making a little girl cry at some point in his life. He blushed as if he was the accused tormentor.  At least Josh recognized what happened. I've been working on him for years on how to interact with girls, more specifically, not to punch, grab, shove, yank on hair, etc.  He just still doesn't quite understand WHY we don't want to be wrestled to the ground in an enthusiastic display of friendship and camaraderie.  He seems to trust me on this, even if he doesn't quite 'get it.'  I think perhaps the increasing interest in the opposite sex might have something to do with my credibility on the subject matter.  I have informed him tackling your heart's desire is a lousy way to get a girlfriend.

At least Hannah has the benefit (or maybe the disadvantage, depending on point of view) of having a big brother.  Maybe the male mind won't be quite the mystery to her otherwise.



But then again, maybe not.