The Love Scale of a Four-Year-Old

I was pleasantly surprised last night when Connor came to me and said, "Mom, I like you!"

I said, "I like you too...in fact, I love you...lots!"

Connor paused for a second then he said, "Well, I only love you a little bit...I love Nana a lot!" (All of the sudden I wasn't so "pleasantly surprised" anymore!)

"Oh yeah?" I replied.

"Yeah," he said. "I love Nana the most!"

Later that night, when I was putting him to bed, Connor asked for a drink. I joked, "I don't know...I only get drinks for boys that love me a lot...and you said that you only loved me a little bit."

"Well," he replied (thinking more about quenching his thirst then anything else--I'm sure), "I do love you a lot. I love you this much (counting on his fingers). One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... nine... ten! See Mom, that's a lot!"

"Okay..." I said, "I'll go get you a drink."

When I returned with the drink, Connor continued, "Mom...I love you a lot...remember I love you as much as ten?!? But, I still love Nana just a little bit more."

"Oh yeah?" I asked, "How much do you love Nana?"

Connor paused to think for a second. "Hummm...37!"

Why do I even try? There's no way I'll ever be able to compete against Nana! --Lindsay