« A Fantastic Kids' Book Find! | Main | Outgrowing a peanut allergy? »
February 26, 2006
Who knew I’d be talking to a preschooler about kissing!
I am well aware of the talk that I will need to have with my girls as they approach the pre-teen years about kissing boys. And since they have food allergies (most scarily, nuts and peanuts), I really need to stress the safety issue as well. But it never occurred to me to have that talk with my preschooler!
You see, I was talking to some preschool parents and they informed me that their kids recently started “licking tongues” with the other children as a kind of game. Of course, the teachers would stop this immediately if they saw it, but even the best teachers can’t supervise every activity every minute on a playground full of children!
My first reaction to this new game was, “Gross! Think of the germs being passed.” Then a bit of panic set in, and I thought, “Oh, my gosh! This could send my kid to the ER (or worse)!” I was especially on edge because of the recent stories about a teenager dying from kissing her boyfriend who had eaten peanut butter. I have, of course, talked with all of my children about the practice of licking tongues! We will keep this game out of our family for now. I just wonder what else I should be teaching my children that I’m not even aware of. We can only teach what we know so I will continue to educate myself and thank God for my children’s safety everyday. And I know, in the not-so-distant future, I will be discussing the birds, the bees and food allergies!
Posted by Ann Marie at February 26, 2006 5:39 PM