Are your Yr1s talking about boyfriends and girlfriends?

[Runoutofideas]

My dd1 (5.5 and yr1) came home from school yesterday saying that x is now her boyfriend. She seemed quite coy and shy about talking about it and made me promise not to tell her dad! My first reaction was that it was sweet and completely harmless, but then I started having a bit of a wobble about them growing up too quickly. Does anyone think I need to be concerned? Do they get upset if they "split up" - argh - Am I seriously overthinking this?

My dd has just gone into year 1. She has had a "boyfriend" in her class since last year, but she is apparently going to marry one of the other boys instead.

DS1 (Yr1) is going to marry his girlfriend but told me this evening that they would still live with me. When I said that perhaps she might want to live with her mummy and daddy he said she wouldn't because they haven't got a Wii. Yup, I bet that'll be a deciding factor in his relationships to come. [sceptical].

Well dd hasn't but she has three brothers so boys are no great shakes to her To be honest any mention of boys usually gets a look of disdain and eye rolling tbh. Long may it continue.

I think the fear of them growing up too quickly is misplaced (though we all feel it at times). They are playing, just like they play shops or firemen or "going to mummy's office". Boyfriends and girlfriends are just another (and hopefully a happy) thing they see in the big world around them. They are not going to try it for real for a good many years, any more than they are going to be doing your spreadsheets for you.

Besides, even when children have grasped a concept it won't mean they suddenly and irrevocably grow up and leave everything that was happy and innocent about their childhood behind forever. Ds watched the American presidential election and discussed its significance- and then went off and played with his Playmobil. My sweet innocent little boy hadn't suddenly gone away.

But naturally teachers may need to put a stop to it for the reasons mentioned by another poster: it can quickly degenerate into very rough play and bullying.