Kissing Bandit

Today caught me by surprise.

I was on the phone long distance with a friend who is so wise…a former teacher…with a dedicated spiritual practice…when my call waiting kicked in. I quickly picked up, and it was the father of a girl in my son’s class who was over the top upset with the fact that he learned his daughter and my son had kissed in school.

I had no knowledge of the situation. Hadn’t heard a word about it. So I told him I’d have to call him back. I shared with my friend what transpired, and it led to an interesting discussion about people’s upbringings and belief systems. I will blog about that another time….but in a nutshell….part of what she shared is that people come to parenting with what they experienced when they were being brought up. Sure, they may have formed their own beliefs separate and distinct from those of their parents, but their foundation is that of their parents…for better or worse.

I called Seth’s teacher as fast as I could. She was at lunch break. I anxiously waited to hear from her so I could get the lowdown.

When she called back, she explained that she hadn’t phoned me herself to discuss it because the incident happened earlier this week, and the children had been spoken to, understood, and the teachers were keeping an eye out. If she thought it was an on-going issue, she would have let me know.

I called the girl’s father back and told him I had spoken with the teacher and that I’d chat with Seth after school today. The father felt it was highly inappropriate behavior.

I have to say I had a mixed feeling. While I don’t endorse the kids kissing on the lips, which is apparently what happened, they are six years old. It was innocent. They are friends. My son is highly respectful. I also know that Seth isn’t a big kisser other than to his family….a hugger yes…..so I was kinda surprised to hear about this. I wondered who actually made the first move?

I had a talk with Seth when he got home. He was embarassed and said his teacher already spoke to him and he understood. I told him I wasn’t mad, and that kissing on the lips isn’t great for kids because it can spread germs. It’s great to have a good friend and there are other ways to express that you care about someone.

I work as a Love Coach for singles (http://www.lovecoach.com/), and little did I know I’d be putting on both my mom and Love Coach hat at the same time with my Kindergarten age son.

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