Double Dating

Last night I had the privilege of going on a double date with my sister Megan and her two boys; Aaron - 7 and Edward - 4. At first when she asked me to be her son Edward's date, I was nervous and skeptical. Edward doesn't immediately scream ideal dater. I don't often get to see the grand children on their own. Normally it's only when everyone is together. I have gratefully discovered that children can be COMPLETELY different in large groups at grandma's house versus on their own at their house. My almost 4-year old nephew Seth loves to hate me when at grandma's house and is constantly pushing me away. I think he likes to be a pill. But when I go to his house he runs up and hugs me and wants to show me everything. Likewise, my almost 5-year old nephew Edward is easily the most willful and anti-social grand child when at grandma's house.
So imagine my surprise when I showed up at his house to find a super sweet and eager date. They recently moved houses and he was all about showing me everything in his new abode. I immediately started calling him "date" which seemed to please him and he was all too willing to hold my hand (like all good dates do). And like a good date, his hand was nice and warm.
The plan for the evening, was dinner, dessert (gelato, mmm yum) and a movie. Standard date fare. Dinner proved a little tricky as some of Edward's less adorable 4-year old traits came out. He didn't want to stay in his seat and refused to eat the dinner his mother had ordered for him. He ended up filling up with soda and the free chips brought to the table.
My favorite part of the evening was near the end of dinner. Edward's mother was quickly becoming frustrated with her son and was on the verge of taking him home. The two conditions she presented him that would allow him to stay on the date was to stay in his seat and eat at least a bite of the his burrito. I think he understood the seriousness of the situation because he calmed down a little and submitted to one bite. The bite being some spanish rice with some cheese. He protested and won the elimination of the cheese but was still forced to eat the rice. He grudgingly allowed the fork to enter his mouth but once the food was deposited his eyes instantly swelled with tears. You'd think his mother had forced hot sauce down his throat. He was on the verge of spitting it out but the look his mother gave him and the threat of going home was enough to keep it in. I would have felt sorry for him but one bite of spanish rice was not asking much and it was kind of entertaining to watch this small child agonize over not wanting to eat and not want to go home. In the end, thanks to large quantities of soda to wash it down, the food was eaten and disaster was averted. Edward was allowed to stay out for the evening.
After dinner we headed for gelato and then on to a movie (that while cute was maybe not the most engaging for a 4-year old) and for the rest of the night Edward was a perfect angel. I was so impressed. He even left me a very articulate voice memo on my phone expressing his appreciation for taking him to the movie and giving him popcorn. Silly boy. I love my nephews and I love opportunities to spend some more one-on-one time with them.