The Ladies Man
My three year old is a ladies man. I think I’m in trouble. I can’t pinpoint exactly where this came from – perhaps it’s a natural charisma, perhaps it’s too many country music videos. But wherever the origin, Brogan loves the ladies – and the ladies love him.
The first signs of his blatant “ladies man” act came a couple of months ago when we were at the mall and he asked his dad if he could go meet some girls. We were a little caught off guard by his confident request, but we laughed and thought it was cute. But he was serious, he had his eyes peeled for “pretty girls” and kept repeating his question making sure we didn’t forget why he wanted to be at the mall.
When we’re in a waiting room – getting hair cut, doctor’s office, you name it – if there is a cute girl around, he will go sit right next to her. On the surface, not too awkward, except that there are typically 25 other empty seats and he picks the one right next to the girl. Then he tries to scoot as close as he can to her, until he’s nearly in her lap. It’s similar to when you’re the only person in an elevator, and someone else boards and stands right next too you – it’s just a little uncomfortable.
And he continued to push the envelope the other night at dinner when the waitress walked within arm distance and he grabbed her around the waist to give her a “hug”… not just a normal hug, a tight, long, I don’t want to let go kind of hug. It straddled the line of inappropriateness and we told him he couldn’t just hug people like that. But our waitress was flattered and thought it was the cutest thing ever, thus feeding into Brogan’s constant quest to be the center of attention. Great.
When we were on our way out, he figured he’d sneak one more in and gave the hostess an “I love you” with her hug. Again, this was met with ohhs and ahhs and she told him that he had made her night. So Brogan walked off, smug, feeling very proud of himself for impressing the ladies, causing a little commotion and pushing the envelope with his parents. I worry because while it’s cute at three – he can’t be walking up to strangers professing love and giving hugs that last just a little too long forever. I worry because as I’ve come to discover, if he’ll do it in front of me, he’ll do it at school and they won’t think it’s that cute. I worry about where this progresses… oh dear Lord, please keep it rated G! And I mostly worry because I know him. This is just the beginning. I think he’s one of those kids – one of those boys – who is just going to be a ladies man, and there won’t be much we can do to stop it. So look out – lock up your daughters! My son’s three going on 16 and I am so not ready for this.