How Come...?

My middle-school-aged daughter recently confessed to me that she has this unique problem that no one else has, or has ever had, and because of that, I would never understand her endless frustration stemming from it. She then complained, "Mom, how come only the boys I *don't* like have crushes on me, and the cute boys I *do* like are never interested in me?!"

I laughed and laughed. And when I was finished laughing five minutes later, I tried to say something, but I thought about what she had said and I started laughing uncontrollably again. When I finally composed myself enough to be able to form words, I told her that that's a universal problem for EVERY single woman all over the world (and a problem, I suspect, for most single guys too). I explained to her that finding the right special someone can be a long and painful process, fraught with disappointment and heartbreak, but that it is all part of the human condition.

Admittedly, not my greatest response as a mother. And then we went out to get frozen yogurt to revel in that part of the human condition.