They want to grow up way too fast, in every way possible.

Last week my son started a new pre-school. We recently moved and he had been away from a large group of kids for about six weeks. I had prepared myself for him to be nervous or shy or unwilling to go. But on the way there, our conversation was much different...and much more funny:

"Hey mom, when I get big like daddy, and when Cali gets big like you...she's going to have two babies in her tummy. And I'm going to be the daddy."

As disturbing as that statement is, I couldn't help but smile. My kids have been through a lot the last four months. They were forced into becoming best friends as each other was about the only stable component of their lives. I have been worrying about how this move would affect them. And I took a big sigh of relief when my son says things like he wants to be the daddy of his little sisters babies. It's much better than hearing he hates his baby sister and wants her to go back to where she came from.

In my mind, it was a sign that he loves her and wants to protect her. My son is a lover through and through, and I appreciate the love he has for his baby sister. And that, at some level, he feels protective of her and her unborn children, warms my heart.

Don't get me wrong, at some point we'll chat about babies and where they come from and who should have babies together...but for now, I'm just going to relish the fact that he loves his sister very much. If only I could bottle it up and show it to him when they hit high school!