Love Hurts.

I had no idea this song was recorded this long ago! Whenever I heard it on the radio, I totally assumed it was some dude from an eighties hair band. Who knew? And this band is called Nazareth. Which is, um...neat?

The Saga of Dylan and Sierra

Kay. So. Dylan had a girlfriend at the end of the school year last year, Sierra. Then we went to China. He was sure she would "wait for him." He bought her many small trinkets from street vendors, all of which he could have bought at the dollar store in America. For reals, yo. I kept telling him to get something Chinesey, but nope. It was plastic heart necklaces, etc. Professor Han kept teasing Dyls, saying, "Your girlfriend maybe won't love you when you are home!!" Dylan always ducked his head in an embarrassed way and said, "No, she'll wait for me." And then would go to his room to hide.

So we came back, and Dylan went back to school. According to him, Sierra had waited for him, and they continued being together, as they always had been.

But then along came....crap. I can't remember his name. I'll call him...Homewrecker. Even though Dylan and Sierra weren't living together. But you get the idea. So Homewrecker started taunting Dylan at recess, saying that he and Sierra were together, that Dylan was living a fantasy, that she no longer loved him. I guess Dyl tried to brush it off and walk away, but this kid wouldn't leave him alone about it. Dylan hadn't told me about Homewrecker until I got a call from his teacher, Ms. No-Child-Is-Acceptable-to-Me-Unless-They-Never-Ever-Speak. She told me Dylan had punched a kid at recess. I was like, "Whaaaa???" But she assured me that they talked it out in the principal's office and that both sides apologized.

When Dylan came home, I asked him what the H. That's when he told me about Homewrecker. He and I talked about the importance of keeping your cool and going and getting the recess aide when someone is bullying you like that. I told Ben about Dylan punching a kid who was bullying him, and Ben said, "Good!" Which made me laugh.

Later that night, while Dylan was lying in bed (it usually takes him at least an hour to fall asleep. It's hard for him to wind down), he called out to me. I went in there, and tears were streaming down his face. "What if Homewrecker is right, Mom? What if Sierra really does love him instead of me??"

It broke my heart to see him hurting. I asked if he had asked Sierra about it. He said no. I said, "Well, don't get sad until you know if it's true or not, honey."

The next day after school, Dylan came home, triumphant. "Sierra DOES love me, Mom!! Homewrecker is just jealous of us."

"Alright, honey. Sounds good. Whatever."

But then the following night, in bed, more tears. "Mom, Sierra decided she wanted to be with Homewrecker, instead of with me. It hurts so bad. How can I make her love me again??"

I know, killer, right?

So he and I had a good talk. I have mucho experience in this area. I told him that, if her decision was to not be with him anymore, there was nothing he could do. She has the right to choose who she wants to be with. I told him it was okay to be sad about it, and that it was okay to cry. I told him that he was better off, that he deserves someone who loves him from the get-go and doesn't ever let him go. Yes, I know I was talking to an eight-year-old, but dang it, I have this little "getting over someone" pep talk memorized. Because I had to say it to myself soooo many times in my life. Hahaha! So continuing on with my pep talk. I told him that she would eventually regret it, because he is such a fantastic kid. I told him it would take a long time to stop hurting, and that was normal.

I came out and told Ben about our talk. Ben was like, "You told him THAT?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?"

"Kar, he's only eight. He shouldn't even have a girlfriend."

"I know that, but you can't push a button on your head to make yourself stop liking someone. When someone rejects you, it hurts. No matter how old you are. And it's not like they've been going on dates."

"I'm going in there to talk to him."

"Fine, whatever."

So then Ben went in there and talked to Dylan. I figured he probably was lecturing him about not having a girlfriend when you're eight years old. But then, when I was passing through later, Dylan called out to me.

"Mom," he said, "I think I'm going to take Daddy's advice."

"And what's that?"

"Daddy says that, if I want Sierra to love me again, I have to tell her that it's okay if she wants to be in a relationship with Homewrecker, but that I wanted to still be her very best friend. I'm going to ask her if we could still be very, very best friends instead. And then she'll want me back."

"Whaaaaa??"

I asked Ben what the H. He said that he had mucho experience in this area, as well, and that the surefire way to get a girl back is to pretend that it's all good if she wants to break up, and that you have to ask if you can still be very best friends, and that it drives the girl crazy and she can't wait to get back with you.

I told him there was no way in the world that ploy would work.

"You wait and see, Kar," he said.

Sure enough, the next day after school, Dylan came running in, shouting, "Mom, it worked! Sierra loves me again!!"

Well I'll be darned.

Anyways, this little Homewrecker/Dylan/Sierra love triangle went around and around for awhile, and then Dylan and Sierra were together for awhile. Homewrecker told Dylan he didn't care about being with Sierra anymore. Then Dylan announced that Sierra was switching schools to be at a school closer to where she lives. He didn't seem too bummed about it. He made sure we gave her some cookies for Christmas. And that's the last I ever saw of her or heard about her.

Until a couple of weeks ago. Dylan said, "Mom, I decided that Sierra and I should just be friends."

No, REALLY??

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Lives. :)