A moment of silence after hearing about my son's first crush

"You know, this girl really, really likes [Son's name]."

My daughter, who was looking at a class photo of my son, pointed to a girl and said this.

Her eyes were wide open, and she acted as if she were sharing a precious secret. She seemed to expect me to lean in and be eager to hear more about it.

I didn't quite understand why this story was so special, but I was happy that someone liked my son, so I smiled and replied,

"Oh, really?"

But before I could even finish that short reply,my son started protesting to my daughter with incredible intensity.

"Ahhh, don't say any more!!"

He was writhing in agony all by himself. He covered his face with both hands and twisted his body. For a moment, my head was filled with question marks, but I quickly grasped the situation.

Aha, so you like her too, don't you? (in my heart)

What a cute, honest, and straightforward boy. He could have kept it a secret if he hadn't said anything, but he self-destructed and gave it away himself.

Wait, hold on. Is seven years old already the age where they start caring about the opposite sex? I had always thought of him as an extension of a toddler, but has he already reached that stage?

In just a few seconds, my emotions flew here and there, making me feel dizzy. My son, who always asks for a hug before getting on the school bus and cherishes the time we spend snuggling in bed together before sleep. But he is definitely building a world of his own that I don't know about, and he is moving forward as the protagonist of that world.

When parents witness their child's changes, they are always happy, and yet, they fall silent for just a little while. I find myself thinking, 'Don't go yet.'

My son, unconcerned with such thoughts, continued to writhe. He kept laughing as if to drown out the overwhelming shyness, saying things like 'Ah' and 'I'm so embarrassed.'

I calmed my cluttered heart, turned to my son, and looked him straight in the eyes. I felt I shouldn't tease him.

"I'm happy, you know. Both that someone likes you, and that you've come to like someone."

My son seemed a little relieved to see that I wasn't teasing him or laughing at him.

I asked him what he liked about her. My son thought for a moment, and then answered,

"She's kind."

I see. He must feel something special about her.

Come to think of it, I also became interested in a specific boy when I was in the first grade of elementary school, just like my son. I remember his name clearly. Kusunoki-kun. It's a story from the distant past, with no clues as to where he is or what kind of life he is living now.

I can't remember now what it was about Kusunoki-kun that attracted me. I feel like I might have just been excited by the development of liking someone. But I have a faint memory that he was a kind boy.

I see, so my son is at that stage now. Memories of the past and my son in front of me overlap.

"Do you play together often at school?"

"No. Not really."

What an adorable sense of distance.

I must sneak into my son's class soon under the guise of volunteering. I will secretly and carefully observe the girl he likes and the relationship between my son and her.

My son insisted to me many times, "Don't ever tell Dad about this." I told him, "I think Dad would be happy too," but he seemed to want to avoid the secret spreading any further.

And yet, just five minutes later, my son said to my husband,

"I told Mom my secret, but I won't tell you, Dad. Don't ask Mom about it"

He disclosed some information himself. In his desperate attempt to keep the secret, he ended up revealing that he had a secret. This part makes me grin, as it feels like he is still in the palm of my hand.

The season of first love, when cherry blossoms bloom, has arrived in our home.