by Erin, Chief Mom

The kids had just finished watching the movie Beezus and Ramona (rated G, btw) when my daughter asked me earnestly, “Mom, can you and I practice kissing like they did in the movie?”  Insert visual of her closing her eyes and squiggling her tongue all over the place.  Good grief.

My first thought was “what just happened in that movie?” But I played it cool and calmly told her that those kind of kisses are not for her to share with me.

I explain that those special kisses are for adults: boyfriends, girlfriends and, you know, people like mom and dad (although I don’t add that making out seems to fall by the wayside for parents of the world).

To which she exclaimed “What!!?!” in a shriek of annoyance.  I was flummoxed by this response, until she added:  “Then how am I supposed to practice so that I know what I’m doing when I have that boyfriend?”

Hmmmm.  That is a fair question. But did I mention she was only in Kindergarten at the time?  (More on teenage rebellion here.)

I thought we had a few more years till she would think about her first kiss. Hopefully the next time this comes up, she will be at least sixteen.

In the meantime, we are coveting these days where her mom and dad are her number one Valentines.  And already missing the days when her Valentines Day gift to us was a slobbery toddler kiss on the check.  We will celebrate with some fun Valentines Day crafts, decorate the house, and enjoy the day.

And if you are looking for some gift ideas for your little ones, check out these great kid books about love.  They are great for toddlers, but try reading them to your older kids too.