AmandasMom: I can't really add too much more in the way of info to what the previous posters have written, but just wanted to to say it's really no big deal. I'm honestly amazed that you have made it adulthood without ever seeing a cold sore on someone. They're extremely common, and as another poster said, about 90% of the population carries the herpes virus in some way, shape or form. It's no cause for shame whatsoever, any more than catching a cold would be. Personally, if it were my daughter, I wouldn't tell her to lie about it. I think that would create the feeling of it being something wrong, something to hide. And it's not. Just say "it's a cold sore." No need to say anything more. Most people (adults too, not just children), simply accept the words "cold sore" or "fever blister" as fully explaining the matter, and don't need any further explanation as to the actual pathology. And she didn't necessarily to to kiss anyone to get it, it could have been from sharing food, or any number of things.