Ever since I taught Baby Girl to kiss (it started more of a lick in her case) a couple of months ago, she had been practicing her new-found skill regularly. If I had to pick the number object of her kisses, it has to be her pictures. Without hesitation, she kisses her blown up poster and her framed photos. Mommy Princess likes to admire herself in the mirror (and has occasionally recorded herself in front of the mirror, saying, “Hi beautiful!”). But I don’t recall ever seeing her kiss her photos.
Next to her own printed images, Baby Girl likes to kiss her stuffed toys (and those of her cousin Iko). She kisses Blue, Barney, Elmo, and every cartoon character known to mankind. She also does not think twice, unless it’s a character she doesn’t recognize or a generic stuffed animal.
And that brings us, her parents, number three on the list (not exactly dead last, that dishonor belongs to our family members). She used to kiss us a lot, when she first learned how to. Now, it takes force and deception just to get a peck on the cheek. “Forcing” is simply pushing a cheek towards her lips, accompanied by desperate pleas to “kiss dada” or “kiss mama.” This usually results to either us being ignored or her getting annoyed. A little trickery often does the job a lot better. This involves a tit-for-tat smack between Blue (or another familiar stuffed toy on hand) and Baby Girl, and then Blue and dada, and — in a moment of confusion — Baby Girl and dada. It’s sad really.
And so it’s always pure joy when without initiation or pleading, I get a surprise kiss from my daughter. It happens every so often, when somehow she feels fondness towards me, like when she tries to wake me up or when she just finds me adorably amusing. Or sometimes, when she needs something from me, like to bring her somewhere. She is learning fast, this little one. But more often than not, she gives me — and her mama — a kiss because it’s another way for her to show her affection. At least that’s what I like to think.
A sweet, unexpected kiss from your baby — it’s one of those things that create parental bliss.
