My 5 year old dd is upset at being dumped! WWYD

[shazmark]

Before you all say why on earth does a 5 year old need a relationship - I agree. it is ridiculous. However today a boy in her class who she thought was her "boyfriend" announced he wanted to marry another girl. So far so ridiculous- however i only got this out of my daughter after prolonged questions and after the class teacher telling me she had been off form and withdrawn all afternoon and was refusing to go to school tomorrow and crying.

I know these things happen and the little boy has done absolutely nothing wrong to her. I have now told dd about the joys of being "a single lady"- and we have sung the beyonce song and she appears to be cheering up. However should I do anything else? Does the teacher need to know about it - I am wary of turning this molehill into a mountain? I hate to see her sad and just want her to be back to her usual self rather than moping about.

It's a First World Problem, so get the lawyers involved.

It is, Whatmeworry, but given that the OP lives in the First World and doesn't have to worry about food and shelter means she worries about other things instead.

She's just fortunate to be worrying about stuff further up Maslow's hierarchy of needs!

Although, I do think it's a bit of a non-problem!

fgs

I wouldn't encourage thinking in those terms about boys who are friends by playing Beyonce, but it's also true that children aged 5/6 can be very fixed on an idea, my dd1 was adamant she had a boyfriend at this age, they would marry, they loved each other, they wanted to be together etc. Despite many bracing talks by me about how this was just a friendship, it just took her to get older and more mature to realise this for herself.

Play it down and move on, find a phrase 'yes, it is a bit upsetting' and repeat and distract. I wouldn't engage about the singledom aspect of it.

I agree with CalamityKate and BOF and others - you need to divert her away from the boyfriend issue, not play along with it by encouraging her to see herself as a "single lady".

When I was 5 I was going to marry a boy called Lee. I seem to remember everyone nodding and smiling and saying 'of course you are dear'.

lol, I was engaged from the age of about 3 to 6, and then I was dumped when my fiance went to "big school" (junior school). We were going to have a caravan and an estate car and a tent and various other things.

I'd treat it as a friendship thing. It's upsetting when a friend loses interest in you, especially when you're 5. Of course she's sad. Just as she would be if a girl friend lost interest in playing with her suddenly.

My dd is 10 and this nonsense goes on in her class. I won't even seriously discuss it with her other than in terms of how ridiculous it is. Thankfully she seems to agree (or realises there's no mileage in it with me) although one of her friends seems to see it as an opportunity to act up. It's a great way of getting attention if anyone will indulge you.

Please don't involve the teacher for goodness sake. I know what ours would say and dragon though she can be, I'd be 100% with her on this one.

she better get used to it kid!

You see this is why my 5 year old DD has 4 (at last count) boyfriends.

So when one goes off her she has plenty in reserve.

(there is also no need for the boys in question to know anything about it )

Sounds like normal five year old behaviour to me. They are just playing. I was going to marry 'Andrew' when I was five. He kissed me under the tree in the playground (peck on the cheek, before anyone gets creeped out). Then the next day he said he was going to marry my best friend instead. I was devastated. My mother said "it's ok, Andrew doesn't have any money." So I told him that the next day.