When Puppy Love Elopes...

A young couple recently made the news when the police prevented them from eloping. Mika and Anna-Lena had decided, amidst New Year's celebrations, to fly to Africa “where it is warm” for a spontaneous wedding. The two packed all the holiday essentials and made their way to Hanover train station in Germany to wait for the airport express. Anna-Lena asked her older sister to accompany them in the role of official witness, displaying a certain amount of rationality behind the decision.

But the sweethearts’ plans were foiled when they aroused the suspicion of a security guard. Who wouldn't be suspicious upon seeing three unaccompanied kids waiting for a train?

Mika and Anna-Lena, ages five and six years old respectively, had planned the trip of a life time but were eventually persuaded by the police that they wouldn't get any further without money, tickets or a passport. A spokesman for the Hanover police department advised the lovebirds that “they can still put their plan into action at a later date.” I have a feeling that their parents are hoping for a long engagement.

When I was Anna-Lena's age, I was inspired by the classic musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and happily married my then-boyfriend Joel, a handsome blond with a penchant for digging up worms, in a white party dress and home-made veil.

But our plans didn't even extend past the garden, let alone to far-away lands, so I admire these youngsters' sense of adventure and audacity. What a breath of fresh air to hear about happy and imaginative children.

I’m sure that that age Mika, Anna-Lena, Joel and I weren’t the only youngsters to have come up with such an idea, Have your children done something similar? Share and discuss your kids’ escapades in the beijingkids forum!