The proposal

Last night, we had urged our son to go ahead and make his declaration at dinner. It was a dare, yes, but one that seemed like fun.

The maitre d', our good friend and the mother of an adorable 5- year-old girl, came over to chat and my boy made his announcement:

"I want to marry Emily!"

And Emily's mom, who had actually joked about this possibility, laughed and said that she had been waiting 5 years to hear those words.

Actually, it may have been 6 years. That was the point when we met this couple, when she and I were pregnant and we discovered that our due dates were very close.

She gave birth to her girl in late July and I gave birth in August, and so started the running joke, that we would set them up.

Emily came over for my son's 1st birthday party and my son, just the fun-loving boy he's always been, ran over to hug her, and ended up tackling her on the floor. My son loved it. Emily was a little overwhelmed.

Still they always played nicely, though there was no other obvious overtures. But the joke has persisted between my husband and me and Emily's parents.

A few weeks ago, my son told me that he wanted to marry me. I was warned this could happen - that many boys go through this "Mommy adoration" phase and that I might expect a marriage proposal.

I explained to my boy that little boys don't marry their Mommies, but that I would always love him.

Resigned, my son then said: "OK, then I guess I'll marry Emily." Which seemed the logical choice, since she is the closest female friend that he has.

Then my son looked up at the ceiling fan and laughed. "Or maybe I'll marry my fan!"
Yes, that's my son's original humor.

Anyway, we ate dinner last night at the restaurant that Emily's parents operate. We had a nice time as always. During a lull in the meal, I reminded my son of the conversation we had about Emily. I laughed and teased him that I might tell Emily's mommy. My son said to go ahead. But then Daddy told my little boy that if he wanted Emily's mommy to know, he should say it himself. There we set up the dare.

I just didn't know if he would take it. But there we were, chatting about Kindergarten and schools, when my son offered his proposal.

Of course, I had to explain the background, which Emily's mom enjoyed. My son seemed really proud that he had the courage to do it.

No word yet on whether it was accepted.