Pout Pout or Kiss Kiss? What Are You Spreading This Advent? by Melissa Bryson Dowling

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.

Psalm 85: 10 (NRSV Updated Edition)

Parenting advice has found its way to me more times than I prefer. I typically find unsolicited advice, even from the kindest of souls, to be more judgmental than helpful. However, learning by example has been incredibly powerful. One parenting practice that we gleaned from a friend was that she read at least three books to her kids every day. It didn’t matter if those books were short board books or only had pictures, any length would do. We implemented this goal, and it is a standard component at bedtime.

Adeline is our middle daughter, a twin to her brother Andrew, but steadfast in her role as middle child since day one. She typically defers the selection of bedtime stories to her siblings but has recently been adamant that we read “The Pout Pout Fish” by Deborah Diesen every night. It is a tale of a fish with a pouty face who has entwined his identity with that unfortunate scowl. His fish friends advise him to stop frowning but he always responds, “I’m a pout pout fish, with a pout pout face, so I spread the dreary-wearies all over the place.” One day, a new fish arrives and plants a big kiss on the Pout Pout Fish. This action turns his identity on its head, and he proclaims that he has been wrong and that he is actually a “Kiss Kiss Fish with a kiss kiss face, for spreading cheery cheeries all over the place!”.

The words of advice didn’t change him, but an action of love did. I don’t recommend planting kisses on everyone, but a little kindness could help someone discover their identity. May we have the grace to live into our Christian identity, spreading love and peace all over the place.

MELISSA BRYSON DOWLING