Oh, to be 5 and in love

Who would have guessed that the first heartbreak I would have to contend with would be with my youngest child, a 5-year-old preschooler.
"Casanova" came home from school last year talking about Grace.
Being the caring, concerned, involved parent that I am (all right, neb-nosey mother) I got out the school picture and looked up this little girl my son had become so smitten over.
I had to admit, Grace was beautiful. Her long, black hair was overshadowed only by her big, brown eyes and long, long lashes.
It wasn't long before David was calling her "My Gracie" and telling his brothers that he was going to marry her.
We all thought this was cute. (OK, so I was a little peeved.) We soon realized how serious David was about this heartthrob.
No laughing matter
"She's my Gracie," Robert taunted him one day. Being the youngest of four boys, David usually knows when he's being teased.
When it came to Grace, we soon found out, he would tolerate no teasing. David hauled off and punched Robert square in the face.
Teachers started telling me how kind David was to Grace.
"If she's crying when she comes in the morning, he takes her hand and plays with her," one teacher told me.
"He sits next to her at lunch," another informed.
"He's so gentle," still another said.
Tears would well up in my eyes every time they told me of his actions. My greatest fear for this child was that he would be a raving lunatic at school after being power-bombed and karate chopped by his older brothers at home.
When that first year of preschool was over, David couldn't wait for school to start in the fall so he could see his Gracie again.
It was a long summer.
When the first day of school finally arrived David was beside himself with excitement. Little did he know, at 5 years old, he was about to experience his first heartbreak.
Grace had changed over the summer.
She no longer cried when she came to school. She no longer needed a hand to hold.
She wanted to play with the girls.
"Gracie gived-up on me," David informed me. He was so cute I wanted to smile, but the hurt in his eyes was heartbreaking.
"You'll always be friends," I told him, wondering what you tell a child this age about love.
During a Mother's Day tea at preschool, we learned that Grace had appendicitis.
Her appendix had actually burst. She was recovering at home, but she would not return to preschool.
"We'll send her a get well card," I suggested to David.
"Maybe we could go see her," he thought.
Went to visit
I called Grace's mother and arranged a time to visit.
We arrived at the door with a card and a china tea set.
After playing outside for a while, they sat down in the living room.
Talking with Grace's parents in the kitchen, we noticed how quiet the two had become. We peaked around the corner.
There they were, each with a tea cup and saucer.
The two candles that came with the set were between them along with the napkin holder.
Chocolate milk was in the teapot.
It was the cutest thing we had ever seen.
Grace was smiling sweetly holding her teacup.
The smile from ear to ear on David's face told me that Casanova was back -- at least for a moment.
I stared in amazement at this child.
He made it look like I was raising the most polite, sophisticated young man in the world.
All sophistication was lost with one slip of the tongue.
When it was time to go, David took his cup and drank the rest of his "tea." Then, without blinking an eye, he picked up the saucer and licked it clean.
gwhite@vindy.com