My son has always been very strong-willed. He knows what he wants and what he does not want, and insists on it. He readily plays with other kids. When another child tries to get something from him, he knows how to fight for what he thinks is his. He is not intimidated by big kids.

Although he is sweet and readily says "I love you" (with a grin and a twinkle in his eye) and hugs, he is cheap with his kisses.

My husband and I thought that we knew everything about our son.

The time finally came for us to attend our first ever parent-teacher meeting at his kindergarten. Imagine our surprise when we realized how different our little boy acts when we are not present.

Our mouth hanged open when we were told that our son immediately follows what his teachers tell him. We were flabbergasted to find out that our son kisses his favorite playmate, a French girl named Maxine, before he takes his afternoon nap. We scratched our heads when we found out that he eats whatever it is they give to him.

Is our spawn Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde 2?

Although, they assured us that most kids are different whenever their parents aren't there, we are still shocked at the thought that our little 2 1/2 year old son could be so different.

My husband just brushed it off. He just assured me with the question, "when you were younger, did you ever act the same way you did when you were with your friends, in comparison to when you were with your parents?" Point taken.

As a mother, I am still curious, though.

What about you?