A number of my grade school (less than 6 grade) students report that they have a
boyfriend/girlfriend. Quite a change from how things were in the early 70’s when
I was their age-when exactly did it become “cool” to have a SO at such young ages?
1975, a little boy named Shane gave me my first peck kiss after I marked “yes” on one of those “do you like me yes or no?” notes. We were a couple for several months, until he embarrassed me by stomping a half-full milk carton in the cafeteria. Who needs that sort of loser?
I was in second grade.
Things haven’t changed that much. 
Heh. My first boyfriend was in grade 1. We were on again, off again, until we finally got married in grade 3, by a liberal female minister of our own age who used her trusty maths textbook for us to swear on. We divorced later on that afternoon, on the bus. You see, I’d realised I’d made a horrible mistake in marrying so young. He said he hated me and loved Rebecca more, anyway. I threw my flourescent yellow veil at him.
Ah, elementary school, when every single day was a soap opera…
- A boy named Aragorn (yeah, I know) was my second grade boyfriend.
Tabby
Ha, I got you all beat-preschool. My boyfriend was a little boy in my class named Brendon who bought me one of those “paint with water” books when my mom couldn’t buy it for me.
I had a girlfriend in 1966 when I was in second grade. It was not, however, considered “the cool thing”, but I on the other hand was not considered a “cool person” anyhow, for what that’s worth.
Yep, I had one of those. In fact, my mother remembers him as “pork chop boy”, because he wanted to invite me over for pork chops, which were his favorite meal (apparently, I have no memory of this). I don’t know why it ended, but it must have been badly, because afterward he was punched by one of the “cool” kids on the wooden playground equipment, and I remember seeing it all and being thrilled. On top of that, the blood stained the wood…
Although, like Anastasaeon, this was a fairly long (for the age) thing, however it was never on and off.
Finally, it’s really odd that this thread has google ads for lingerie. Not so odd from the obvious keywords, but the context…
hmm, I guess I did. Her name was Danielle. Probably around second grade. I believe we “broke up” because of all the teasing about cooties and whatnot. She moved away to another town soon afterwards.
Kindergarten in Dorchester ( early 70’s ). She broke my heart ( well, more left me feeling vaguely confused ) when she said she had to break up with me because she was in love with Michael Jackson. Hah! How’d you enjoy that freak show, Carmen! 
I also lived in Washington Heights in NYC for first and second grade and kissing and girlfriend/boyfriend pairing definitely did occur, presumably mimicking the older kids.
- Tamerlane
Oh and second grade featured my first huge ( unrequited ) crush on one Mary Ann ( I think kindergarten Carmen both declared and broke off her relationship with me without any particular input or activity on my end - well, other than one episode of “playing doctor” ).
- Tamerlane
My almost-second-grader has been in love with this little girl for years now. They have been off and on since way before school, in daycare. One day when they were off a Barry White song came on the radio in the car, and he asked me to turn it off because it reminded him of Emya. Aw…
And I’ve always liked boys. I remember a boy in kindergarten- I thought at the time that his name was Ronald McDonald, but looking back I can’t imagine that that was him name and I was mistaken.
When I was 4 I had a girlfriend named Jill, who was 5. She would hold my hand and lead me around the backyard of the Deb-n-Heir Preschool, somewhere in the suburbs of Syracuse, New York, in 1971 or 1972.
Hi, Jill
In grade 1 I got married to a boy in my class, Tim. He gave to a bracelet made from the lid of a can with the middle of the lid cut out (Cheez Whiz, IIRC).
My best friend, Anna, was married to another Boy (Eldon). A while later we switched husbands.
Shameless hussies! 
Preview is my friend.
Instead of “he gave to a bracelet”, it should read, “he gave me a bracelet”
In kindergarten, a boy named Stoney asked me to be his girlfriend. I told him no… he cried. That was 1990. I had my first real boyfriend when I was 15 or 16. I never thought they were “cootie” infested but I wasn’t interested in boys when I was that young.
Wait… you were in Kindergarten in 1990?
My God, I feel positively ancient! 
I’m only 24, but even so…
Tell me about it…that was the year I graduated high school!
I had a “boyfriend” when I was 4 and in preschool. His name was Derek and he was an older man…6, I think. We played the kissing game at recess (we’d chase each other around, kiss our finger, and tag each other). He thought up a scheme that apalled me, yet thrilled me, too. We were all fingerpainting (it was Montessori, so all the ages were together). He went into the boys’ bathroom and put his paint handprints all over the walls. He was clever, though - he put them down low, so it would like a younger kid did it. They had us all go in there and put our hands up to the handprints. Of course, since he was bigger than all of us, none of our hands matched. Evil Genius! (I have know idea if he was caught or not, but it seems hard to believe the teachers didn’t figure this ruse out.) I knew he’d done it all along, but I didn’t tell on him. I stand by my man!
Anyway, I had my first real kiss when I was 11, on the last day of 6th grade.
I’m pretty sure I was that guy that passed you that note.
Hell in forth grade I got the prettiest girl in my homeroom class. The only reason I got her was because I jokingly put my arm around her (I can’t remember why) after I did that she blushed like a…um… a… well, a little school girl. Then she of course told one of her friends to tell me to ask her to be my girlfriend.
At 35 things still haven’t changed all that much. With the games and all.
My school was co-ed in kindergarten, then the boys moved across the street to the Jesuits and we stayed with the nuns. Some of my classmates (girls) claimed that such and such boy was their boyfriend - I rolled my eyes and kept on fighting the boys, which as far as I knew was the one thing for which boys were better than girls (boys usually kicked less viciously). This was c.1973
The two schools reorganized: in 3rd grade, we went co-ed again, yay! I didn’t like soccer (in Spain that’s a guy’s game) but I did like playing tag with people who didn’t hug the floor crying in order to avoid being tagged Same as above re bf/gf
The first time I recall guys being open to gf considerations was in 5th grade.
On the afternoon of the day he’d started kindergarten, my youngest bro, he of the cherubic looks (blonde curls and big bluegreen eyes), received Mom with the following news update: “I HATE PAT!”
Apparently Pat, she of the long blonde tresses and blue eyes, had declared that, since my brother was going to be rich (he didn’t make any such declarations, but apparently she mistook a budding accountant for a budding banker) and he was “not too ugly”, she was going to marry him and spend all the money he was going to make.
Lilbro wasn’t so bothered by her wanting to marry him when they were old enough as by her wanting to spend all his money. If she wanted to have money to spend, she should get a job herself, he thought.
They were 4.
I had a “boyfriend” all the way through primary school (1986-1993). He was very sweet, but IIRC all that that meant was that we invited each other to our birthday parties, and bought each other birthday presents and Valentine’s presents. I was probably the only 10 year old who got a Valentine’s card that was bigger than I was! Little boys have strange ideas about what constitutes romance- I can tell you that having to walk through town lugging a 5ft card isn’t particularly romantic, but I did admire his effort.
I think it also meant that when we played kiss chase we were only allowed to chase each other, but that’s it. Everything was very innocent and sweet. I do know that he liked me a lot more than I liked him, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so we stayed an “item” until we went to separate secondary schools.