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Jul. 29th, 2009 03:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ninanevermoreWednesday – Passionate About Kisses
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Sweet Pea brought up his failed attempt to kiss his playmate, Carlie, again last night at dinner.
"I tried, but she didn't like it," he said with resignation. "She only likes kissing other girls."
My husband and I exchanged amused looks.
"That could explain why she likes playing with his helicopter and his cars," Jeff said. Sweet Pea and Carlie constantly bicker about whose turn it is to play with his toys.
"In that case, I'll let you be the one to explain to him that he's barking up the wrong tree," I said. I turned back to Sweet Pea. "I think Carlie's daddy told her that kissing boys is yucky and that she shouldn't do it."
"But why?"
How do I explain to him that the fathers of daughters, all former boys and young men themselves, do not trust boys and young men at all as far as their little girls are concerned? The warnings to stay away from boys seem to start when their little princesses are still in diapers. Of course, Sweet Pea is harmless at the age of 4. Heck, he doesn't even know why he wants to kiss Carlie at all, he just knows that he does. But as he grows from fawn to healthy young buck in the next decade and a half, no father of any daughter his age will think of him as anything other than trouble waiting to happen.
"Is Carlie your friend?" I asked him.
"No." He paused, considering. "Well, maybe a little."
"Then why do you want to kiss her?"
"I don't know. I like kisses."
"But Carlie doesn't."
"Well, she only likes kisses from other girls," he reminded me sadly.
"Some girls are like that, Sweet Pea. If she doesn't change her mind eventually, I bet you can still play with helicopters together."
He sighed. "Yeah, we can."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * # * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
I was shown a version of this folk poem when I was growing up, and the saga of Sweet Pea and Carlie and the kiss brings it to mind. Maybe I should pass it along to Carlie's father, to back up what he has already told her.
Beware of boys with eyes of blue,
They kiss you once and ask for two;
Beware of boys with eyes of eyes of brown,
They kiss you once then let you down;
Beware of boys with eyes of gray,
They kiss you once then run away;
Beware of boys with eyes of black,
They kiss you once and won't come back;
Beware of boys with eyes of green,
They kiss you once and let you dream.
My dear, you'll know all kinds of joys -
If only you beware of boys!
.
.
.
Sweet Pea brought up his failed attempt to kiss his playmate, Carlie, again last night at dinner.
"I tried, but she didn't like it," he said with resignation. "She only likes kissing other girls."
My husband and I exchanged amused looks.
"That could explain why she likes playing with his helicopter and his cars," Jeff said. Sweet Pea and Carlie constantly bicker about whose turn it is to play with his toys.
"In that case, I'll let you be the one to explain to him that he's barking up the wrong tree," I said. I turned back to Sweet Pea. "I think Carlie's daddy told her that kissing boys is yucky and that she shouldn't do it."
"But why?"
How do I explain to him that the fathers of daughters, all former boys and young men themselves, do not trust boys and young men at all as far as their little girls are concerned? The warnings to stay away from boys seem to start when their little princesses are still in diapers. Of course, Sweet Pea is harmless at the age of 4. Heck, he doesn't even know why he wants to kiss Carlie at all, he just knows that he does. But as he grows from fawn to healthy young buck in the next decade and a half, no father of any daughter his age will think of him as anything other than trouble waiting to happen.
"Is Carlie your friend?" I asked him.
"No." He paused, considering. "Well, maybe a little."
"Then why do you want to kiss her?"
"I don't know. I like kisses."
"But Carlie doesn't."
"Well, she only likes kisses from other girls," he reminded me sadly.
"Some girls are like that, Sweet Pea. If she doesn't change her mind eventually, I bet you can still play with helicopters together."
He sighed. "Yeah, we can."
I was shown a version of this folk poem when I was growing up, and the saga of Sweet Pea and Carlie and the kiss brings it to mind. Maybe I should pass it along to Carlie's father, to back up what he has already told her.
They kiss you once and ask for two;
Beware of boys with eyes of eyes of brown,
They kiss you once then let you down;
Beware of boys with eyes of gray,
They kiss you once then run away;
Beware of boys with eyes of black,
They kiss you once and won't come back;
Beware of boys with eyes of green,
They kiss you once and let you dream.
My dear, you'll know all kinds of joys -
If only you beware of boys!
