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Savannah with one of her very first "boyfriends", Gagey

Yesterday, while we were driving to meet Lara & Carson for a playdate, Savannah informed me that — at the tender age of five — she already has three boyfriends. “Oh, really?” I asked, adopting my best casual tone so as to keep her talking. “And who are they?”

She ticked them off on her fingers, her little brow furrowed in concentration. The first one didn’t surprise me all that much: Isaac, a boy from her old pre-school class, who was regularly featured in her after-school stories and was always described as “hilarious”. Next came Carson, Lara’s son — he’s not even two yet, which I think officially qualifies as cradle-robbing. Last but not least was Cory, a new name. I asked who he was, and suddenly found myself in a full-fledged conversation about dating — with a five-year-old.

Savannah: “Mom.” (Shaking her head as if I’d missed the memo containing all of Cory’s key info.) “He’s in my kindergarten class.”

Me: “Oh! And he’s your boyfriend already?”

Savannah: (Nods)

Me: “Does he know that?”

Savannah: (Shakes her head)

Me: “Are you going to tell him?”

Savannah: “Duh. No, Mom. That’s not what you’re supposed to do.” (Long silence, gazing out window.) “Anyway, I know all about dating.”

Me: (Trying desperately not to smile) “Oh, you do, huh?”

Savannah: “Yep.”

Me: “Well, what IS dating?”

Savannah: “It’s when you’re going out with somebody.”

Me: “And what does THAT mean?”

Savannah: “Well, you laugh at him, and then you kiss, and then you dance.”

Me: (Tipping up the rearview mirror to hide my grin) “And that’s it?”

Savannah: (Nodding for emphasis) “That’s it.”

While it’s somewhat unnerving that (thanks to Hannah Montana and High School Musical), Savannah is already becoming aware of the opposite sex, I figure the conversation could have been much worse. After all, I think we could all use a little more laughter, kissing, and dancing. (Let’s just hope the kissing holds off for another decade or two.)