On the Down-Low...

So I heard this second-hand from Hari, but it is too much so I have to share.

It is December 2021, so Colin is 12 (7th grade) and Ryan is 10 (5th grade).

Today as Ryan was scrambling to get ready for school, Hari noticed that he was ineffectively trying to hide what appeared to be a note.  He asked about it and Ryan clearly didn't want to talk about it.  Finally, Hari promised to not tell me (oops) so Ryan showed the note to Hari.

It was a piece of notebook paper, with writing in large purple marker:

DO YOU LIKE ME?

__ YES     __ NO      ___ I NEED SOME TIME

Ryan admitted that a couple of girls have been passing him notes.  WHAT THE HECK?  He's TEN!!!

Hari then asked how Ryan responded, and why he didn't fill out the note.  Ryan said he talked to her instead.  He said that the girl sits next to him in Social Studies, and he didn't want to hurt her feelings or for things to be awkward, so he just told her he already has a girlfriend at another school.

And while this isn't truthful, I'm giving him a lot of credit on this one.

1. He talked to the girl.  No evidence (smart cookie), he won't get caught passing a note, AND he had the guts to discuss it with her.
2. He doesn't want to get involved in stupid 5th-grade relationship drama.
3. He considered the girl's feelings, AND how this would impact their daily interactions in class.
4. He let her down easy so she didn't have to be embarrassed. 

I would have preferred the truth, but in all I'm incredibly impressed with the way he handled it.  That's a good deal of social intelligence for a 10-year old boy.

I'm simultaneously terrified that he's so savvy when he's only 10, but for now, I'm just going to focus on the positive.  Well done, Ryan.