Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The Kissing Hand

My Daughter brought home this excerpt from a book yesterday from school. I had never heard of it - but isn't it a lovely story! The kids all had a small white card with them home and were to trace their hands on it and the moms were to kiss the card (with lipstick...) and the kids could then keep the card in their desks at school and bring out when they get homesick. I finished my Daughter's card last night and wrote a secret message in Swedish along the hand. She was very pleased this morning (I was too - I'm not really the artistic type - but it turned out ok).

"But you're not going to miss me in school so you don't really need it", I told her, knowing she loves school and can't wait to spend the days there. "I know, but let's pretend I need it mom", she said.

The Kissing Hand
- by Audrey Penn

Chester Raccon stood at the edge of the forest and cried.

“I don’t want to go to school”, he old his mother. “I want to stay home with you. I want to play withy my friend. And play with my toys. And read my books. And swing my swing. Please may I stay home with you?”

Mrs Raccon took Chester by the hand and nuzzled him on the ear.

“Sometimes we all have to do things we don’t want to do”, she told him gently. “Even if they seem strange and scary at first. But you will love school once you start”.

“You’ll make new friends and play with new toys. Besides,”, she added, “I know a secret that will make your nights at school seem as warm as cozy as you days at home”.

Chester wiped away his tears and looked interested. “A secret? What kind of secret?”

“It’s called the Kissing hand”, she said.

“The Kissing Hand?”, asked Chester. “What’s that?”

“I’ll show you”. Mrs Raccon took Chester’s hand and kissed right in the middle of his palm.

Chester felt his mother’s kiss rush from his hand, up his arm and into his heart.

Mrs Raccon smiled. “Now whenever you feel lonely and need a little loving from home, just press your hand to your cheek and think. “Mommy loves you” and that very kiss will jump to your face and fill you with toasty warm thoughts”.

Chester loved The Kissing Hand. Now he knew his mother’s love would go with him wherever he went.

That night, Chester stood in front of his school and looked at his mother and grinned.

“Give me your hand” he told her.

Chester took his mother’s hand in his own. Next he leaned forward and kissed the center of her hand.

“Now you have a Kissing Hand too”, he told her. And with a gentle “Good bye” and “I love you”, Chester turned and danced away.

4 comments:

Saltistjejen said...

Vad gulligt. Både historien och att de skulle ha med sig korten? En liten fråga bara, skulle inte papporna skriva ngt och lämna ngt avtryck??? Bara mammorna?
KRAAM!

JaCal said...

Ja, det kan man ju verkligen fråga sig... tänkte på samma sak... och jag som inte ens använder läppstift... hittade till slut ett läppglans som gjorde avtryck... suck. Men historien var väldigt gullig. Frågade dottern när hon kom hem vad hon gjorde med kortet "va? jaha, ja det ligger i bänken någonstans". Så hon behöver inte det så mycket... ;-)

Anna, Fair and True said...

Haha, "let's pretend" =D Barn säger så roliga saker!

JaCal said...

Anna - japp - varje dag får man höra så roliga saker - det är verkligen fördelen att ha barn! Man får skratta mycket.