5 year olds talking about being in love

[NotoriousGnocchi]

Is this normal? DD (5) told me today she is in love with one of her classmates (6) and wants to marry him when she's older. Let's call him John. Apparently John keeps telling her that she is in love with him and he is in love with her. She said he keeps whispering it into her ear. I asked her what being in love means (she just said she's going to marry him I think) and I asked her if she is in lovr with him and she answered that he keeps saying she is and that she would like to be (in love with him)

I know at this age if doesn't mean anything and he's probably just copying what he's heard from adults or TV / movies but I find it a bit cringe. And slightly disturbing though I'm not sure why. I know some parents think it's cute.

I guess I especially don't like the ear whispering as if it's a secret. Does he know he shouldn't be saying stuff like this and is that's why whispering? I also didn't like the way DD mentioned it, kind of bashful and giggly ... like a Disney Princess. She doesn't watch movies (gets too scared of them) so I'm not sure where she's getting that from.

I wouldn't mind so much if he told every girl that he was in love with them all the time but I know this John a few months ago "proposed" to another classmate (as the mums briefly mentioned it on the group chat). Apparently he told DD now that he's moved on from that girl and is in lovr with DD. I don't like that either. The exclusiveness of it.

I don't really know what or if I need to do anything about it. I think the best way is to not make a big deal of it. I was just neutral when DD told me about it.

I don't like it though I can't really put my finger on why. I don't mind her play acting other adult stuff but then this isn't exactly play acting or pretend play, is it? I just want her to be a child for longer and not worry about this stuff.

Am I over thinking it?

Should I have more of a chat with her? Maybe just about how she can love many people and be friends with many people but being in love is more for adults? I mean we talk about all kinds of stuff all the time so I could raise it without even referring to this boy or anything.

Should I mention it to the teacher? Without naming names? Maybe they can discuss it in pshe? Or would they think I'm unnecessarily paranoid and reading too much into it?

Well...Am I?

I was going to marry the French boy across the road when I was 4. Sadly they went back to France. He gave me a beautiful porcelain heart, which I still have. We 'wrote' for a while but lost touch sadly.

My GS and a girl in his class were 'married' in the playground with their class teacher officiating. They were 7 years old. Now that was inappropriate! The teacher organised it all and brought in a veil and a special tie - to our knowledge they'd never shown any interest in being married.

I totally agree. You seem to be one of the few that has actually read the OP!

Completely normal and as I see it, they're rehearsing and learning those set of social skills that they'll need in real life later on.
Which is why this is an excellent opportunity to engage with it and give her your input. Play at it with her and teach her to be a confident girl who knows her own mind.