Making Out With His Mother’s Cheek

To the unknowing spectator the child is making out with his mother’s cheek,

perhaps inappropriately,

jarring the unknowing spectator,

making the unknowing spectator a little uncomfortable;

this rare open-mouthed-intimacy exchanged between mother and child.

To the knowing spectator, however, the assessment and interpretation of the child’s behavior is that he has not quite developed the motor planning requisites to be able to give a proper kiss.

A kiss requires him to

squeeze his cheek, chin and lip muscles together

AND

purse,

pucker,

and release them onto his interlocutor’s cheek with the right amount of pressure for the right amount of time.

These requirements, for him, require muscle development and motor planning practice.

In our family, we call this therapeutic intervention: “operation little kisses.”