my 6yo son, always talk about girlfriends and stuff?

Question

he always tell me about his classmate and he said that she likes him a lot and told me that she's his girfriend..i always listen to his stories and just tell him its ok to be friends but not girlfriend yet coz they are still young. i mean is this normal for kids 6yrs of age to talk about girlfriends?

Answer 1

In my opinion, that is totally normal... I work with children of all ages and I know how kids behave...
They watch TV and see relationships, they see their parents are married (or dating other people) which kids will relate to "boyfriend/girlfriend"... Relationships and dating are all around them, and regardless of what you think, they notice...
They also dont fully understand the concept of dating because they are young... So if your son is really good friends with a girl, he might say she is his girlfriend because in his opinion, that's just how things work...
You don't need to worry about your 6yr old boy dating... He isn't having sex, chances are he doesn't know what sex is... Don't worry, a young boy talking about girlfriends is totally normal...

PS - one of the young boys I babysit and care for in the daycare, when he was 4yrs old he told me his girlfriend Caitlen (who was also his best friend) broke up with him because she liked Max (who is an autistic boy that they occasionally play with) and she was always too busy for him because of her other best friend Emma... just kinda goes to show they see these things on TV and stuff but do not understand them...
Then he started crying... If your son goes thru a "breakup" my best advice is to just talk to him about it... Talking works, and he'll tell you everything, remember you are the all-knowing mom!

Answer 2

Yes it is normal for kids that age to talk about having a girlfriend or a boyfriend. According to Frued's stages of development your six year old is right on time in his psycho/sexual development.

When your 6 year old talks about having a boyfriend or girlfriend it is not defined the same way as if he were 26 or 16. A 6 year old has no job, no car, no life. Having a girlfriend makes him feel popular and loved and that someone else other than his family and best friend think he is special.

Answer 3

I get the same thing from my 7 y/o. I have been on many field trips this year and see that all the little kids are talking about it. Fortunately my son is into older women (like the teenaged cashier at the grocery store) so I don't have to worry about it as much. Despite all this the interest in the opposite sex does not seem inappropriate just innocent. I have done the same thing you have about saying its OK to have friends.

Answer 4

My sister and I were completely opposite when it came to boyfriends/girlfriends. I didn't date until my senior year of highschool and she had a boyfriend in Kindergarden. I don't think that it is necessarily a bad thing because that relationship doesn't really mean a lot. I would try to have open communication with your son about it, which it seems like you have since he is talking about it. I'd ask him what he thinks it means to have a girlfriend. By finding out what it means to him it will determine more of the situation. Whatever you do just don't freak out about it. Remain calm which it seems like you are doing. One option is to have her over to play. Then you can see what sort of interactions they have and that they are just being little kids who are friends who happen to be opposite gender, or if they think that there is something more there.

Answer 5

Do you think there could be a problem with what you are letting him watch? Children usually learn from what they see or hear. Ever heard a child say a dirty word? Well, most of the time it comes from repeating what a family member says. Gosh! What happened to the good old days when kids played outdoors all day? I don't think it is causing any harm at this point. Just don't let him invite her over or you may be finding them playing doctor!

Answer 6

My 5 and 7 year old boys do the same thing. They do not talk about it all the time but occassionally they will say that sucha nd such is their girlfriend. I ask them what it means to them to have a girlfriend, they just say it is someone that is a girl that likes you and you like her. I asked them what do you to do when you're at school together and my 7 yr old replied, I usually follow her around and then she will follow me around. I thought that was quite funny. This day and age things are diferent.

Answer 7

It seems to be pretty common at that age for boys. Like others have said, he's just imitating what he has heard, probably from TV and his father (not that that's a bad thing). They don't really know what a girlfriend is or what that means yet, so you don't really have anything to worry about.

Though I did have a boy bring me his mother's jewelry in 2nd grade because he liked me...

Answer 8

No need to worry. My 6 year old step-son does it too. My way younger sister did the same thing when she was that age too.. It's that stage. As he gets a little older, then he probably will think girls are "yucky".. And he won't like girls for a few years.. Then he'll go back to liking girls at about the end of elementary school.

Answer 9

Young kids do this often. Even with parents, many young children say they want to marry daddy or mommy someday. They're simply emulating "grown-ups" and see it just as something people do. Granted, it's good to keep your eye on things, but it's a phase that most children go through and will soon pass. Don't worry, soon he'll think girls have cooties and want little to do with them.

Answer 10

yea i know a four year old who talks about that and kissing and getting married with this generation,... who knows?? The TV, radio, friends, and everything helps cause this it's just them having their imagination run.. they dont know what it means.. but around eleven when they get more "into it" its not as cute. But at age 6 you have a nice sweet normal son!!