Sixty-two Days

So, we were at our weekly coffee party on Tuesday.  Pretty much right off the bat, Jack’s mom says, “So, what do you  guys think about all this kissing?”  Huh?  What kissing?

It seems that Jack and Mikey were caught taking turns kissing Isabelle on the cheek.  Jack’s dad caught them and put a stop to it.

I”m sure it was all innocent enough.  Pecks on the cheek, nothing to get all in a tither about, most likely.

Here’s what I  want to know, though.  How does this start?  Five year old  boys just want to kiss five year old girls?  Five year old girls orders five year old boys to kiss her?  Is it part of some role-playing game, like they are pretending to be husband and wife? 

Perhaps what bothers me most is that at least a few days had passed between the incident and me learning  about it.  And I only learned about it because another mom told me.   When asked why SHE didn’t tell me, Isabelle shrugged and said, “Jack’s Dad  already knew and  told us to stop.  I didn’t think you needed to know if another grown up already took care of it.”

I’ve told her that playing  any game that involves kissing  is not to be played until she is older.  I’ve told her that if someone tries to kiss her she just says, “Please don’t  do that.”  Or, “My mom will get really, really mad at you if you do that again.”  Or, “My dad has a shotgun and knows how to use it.”  Well, maybe that’s a bit strong.  I did talk to her about it, though, trying to keep it low key but direct.  I made sure she knows that moms talk.  Especially about kissing.  So, she better be telling me these things herself.

Jack’s dad, of course, told Jack’s mom that he had to give Jack the “thumb’s up” for his choice.  “If he has to be kissing some little girl, it might as well be the cute, smart, polite one.  If he can pull that  off  in high school he’ll be set!”  Yeah, not what a  mom wants to hear. 

But at the same time, “Yaaaaaay!”  (That outburst was from the awkward, sweater wearing, big-haired geek that stares at me from the picture on my parents living room wall…the  one of me in high school.

And, really, how are those little boys supposed to help themselves?  Who’s going to NOT kiss this: