...and so it begins

La Princesita was kissed in school.

One of her little classmates has taken to chasing her around the playground at recess time, and last Friday he caught her and kissed her.

This has been dubbed "The Big Secret" of the A.M. Kindergarten Class.

And ALL the class mothers seem to know about it.

Fortunately, I have a relationship with mi princesita that permits her to tell me these things long before I hear about it "through the grapevine." She came home last week and told me all about it. So, as any Mama Llama would, I had some questions:

--First of all, are you complaining or is this just a secret?
--It's just a secret.
--Okay. (had to establish context...was this considered a "good" thing or a "bad" thing)
--So, what was happening when he kissed you?
--Oh, he was chasing me on the playground. Then he caught me and kissed me!
Great.
--Okay. Did you want him to kiss you?
--No.
--Did you tell him "no"?
--No.
Okay.
--Were you just playing?
--Yes. But he treats me like I'm his girlfriend.
What exactly this means in kindergarten, I'm afraid to ask.
--Do you want to be his girlfriend?
--No, not really. (I have since learned that she has a crush on another little boy--they are all really sweet boys, nice kids and gentle when playing with the girls, so that helps a bit...but there seems to be a bit of a triangulo amoroso in this kindergarten class...)

So this gives me motivation to talk to her about what not permitting someone else to tell her who she is or what she is supposed to be. If she does not want to be kissed, then she must say No! And not a "No!" while giggling and running away. I told her she needs to be clear if that is what she really wants. If she does that, and it persists, then she can go to her teacher. But I made it clear that, until she has made an effort to stop something she doesn't want happening, she can't go tattling to her teacher, and I will NOT get involved until after those two options have been exhausted.

I guess it is never too early to start the self-esteem brainwashing. You ARE strong, you CAN say no when you don't feel comfortable. You CANNOT allow someone else to define your own identity--you ARE who you are and you can NEVER let anyone else take that from you.

So she got a dose of that lecture, but in a more interactive, kindergarten-lingo-friendly manner. No glazed-over eyes, so I take that as a goodsign.

I have since learned that this little boy is a real little work of art; he apparently kissed one of La Princesita's t-ball teammates as well.

There are the movers. And then there are the shakers. Yes, even in Kindergarten.