The Kissing Bandit

Daniel has always been an affectionate little boy. He doles out hugs to whomever is a willing recipient, even if that "person" happens to be his dog. If I ask Daniel to give Ollie a hug, he'll throw his arms around that puppy like his life depends on it. He cuddles like no other boy I've ever known. Until now, though, Daniel hasn't been a big kisser. If you were lucky, you might get a quick peck from him (which felt more like him accidentally brushing his lips against yours). But that was then, this is now. Being around Daniel these days is not for the non-affectionate among us. He has become the Kissing Bandit.

Not only does he kiss on demand, but he uses kisses as a method of saying goodbye. Every morning, as we get ready to leave the house, Daniel blows kisses before turning to walk out the door. Who is the lucky recipient of his fish face kisses? Maybe Ollie, since I always call out, "Bye, Ollie! Love you!" before leaving the house. Daniel wants to put his particular stamp on the goodbye ritual. He looks so precious, puckering up those beautiful, plump lips of his and letting his kiss fly.

Daniel kisses his stuffed animals, his toys (especially his Thomas train), and basically anything that he's asked to put away or say goodbye to. Sometimes he's a little too "loose" with his kisses. Just the other day, as we were leaving music class, he stood by the door with his friends, Sammy and Ari. He was ready to go, wearing his coat, waiting for me to get my bag. I turned to see him blowing kisses back into the room, to no one in particular. He just puckered up and let them fly. I called out, "Daniel, who are you kissing?" I'm not really sure he knew, just felt like he had to share a kiss before leaving.

The next step is teaching him how to truly blow a kiss. Right now, he puts his hand up to his mouth and kind of kisses inward, like he's sucking it in instead of blowing it out. Whichever way he does it, though, it's the most delicious gift I've ever received.