Spring

She was just 2 years old when he came into the world. By his second summer, they were fast playmates.
In his third summer, he informed me "Mama, she's my girlfriend!" Ok, I thought, "What does he know about girlfriends?"
His fourth summer, they played hide and seek and performed plays on the backyard picnic table.
Now in his sixth summer, she's almost 9 years old. He's almost 7. Her idea of fun is getting dressed up in Brittney Spears-type clothing with make-up. As she wiggles and dances her way around the neighborhood, he's wondering "What happened to my playmate/girlfriend?!" His reaction to the difference is "You need to get some clothes on!"

"Dear boy, I explained today, "she wants to play girl things like Barbies, house, and dress-up." His deep chocolate eyes peered into mine, he had no words, no understanding of this new development. He's trying so hard to understand. "It's not about you", I say.

How do I explain? Lord, give me strength to walk my child through this life change!