Tonight Middle Boy didn't help out with child care.  He went out with his mentor instead.

When I got home he had a question for me.  A question I wasn't even remotely prepared for.

He asked me if I thought it was "too early" for him to ask his girlfriends dad's permission to marry him.

EGAD.  Yes.

They haven't even been on a date. 

The only time they "talk" is at school and through texting.

After the initial shock of the question I was able to talk to him about a lot of things regarding relationship.

He SO DESPERATELY wants to know...really know that someone loves him.

He can't trust that I love him.  (Just another reason to hate Reactive Attachment Disorder.)  I don't think he believes it at all.  Not one bit.

We talked about how there will likely be a time in his life when he is ready to be married, but there is a lot of relationship building needing to be done between now and then.