My 11-Year-Old Just Flirted?!

So, here’s a sentence I never thought I’d write:

My little girl was flirting.

It happened right after my son’s birthday party. She was playing Super Smash Brothers with a couple of his friends (she won’t even play with her own brothers), and she wasn’t just playing, she was giggling, screeching, rolling around on the couch, and basically acting like a whole new person.

I was sitting there thinking, “Wait. Who is this child?”

Even my husband, who wouldn’t recognize flirting if it walked up and smacked him in the back of the head, noticed. He leaned over and said, “Yeah, she’s definitely flirting.”

Then came the clincher. When I dropped the boys off, one of the twins kind of hung back just a little bit, just enough to make sure he gave her a fist bump before leaving.

Excuse me, sir? Did you just fist-bump my 11-year-old like that? Was that… flirting?

I asked my husband, and of course, he was like, “Yeah, probably.”

Now, to be clear, I’m not worried about anything actually happening here. She’s 11. He’s 14. Not the time, not the place. Still, it was kind of funny to watch.

But then I had the thought…I was 16 and my husband was 19 when we started dating.

So… yeah. I guess we better watch out.

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Mama, I know how easy it is to get lost in the swirl of kids, work, and life. That’s why I love creating space for moms to pause, breathe, and be reminded of their beauty. At Kristian Hutchings Portraits, you’ll be cared for from start to finish, and you’ll leave with images that show you the grace and strength your family already sees every day.

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Kristian is a mom of six, Program Manager by day, active Professional Photographer by trade, and a big believer in finding beauty in the everyday chaos.

Life in our house is loud, messy and full of literally everything. Love, noise, laundry, laughter, and definitely could use a bit more grace. I'm happily married to my best friend, grounded in my Catholic faith, and fueled by five to six hours of sleep per night and adrenaline.

I try to find joy in the everyday — even when it's wild, because without the little bit of joy, this life would be unbearable. This space is for the moms in the middle of it all: the ones juggling family, faith, work, and wonder. The ones that need someone else's messy life to make their own seem better or somewhat normal. You're not alone, and you're doing better than you think.

Welcome to Six Sweet Smiles — where we celebrate the mess, the miracles, and everything in between.