A father has remained adamant that he won't stop kissing his children on the lips despite the recent online backlash that other fathers are facing.
As reported earlier this week, doting father Tom, who goes by @tom_leeds on TikTok, sparked a wave of backlash after he pecked his son on the lips during a video.
During the short clip which was initially uploaded to the social media platform to highlight the similarities between the eyes of the father and son, Tom's moment of affection towards his five-year-old son Roman wasn't to the taste of some views.
Following the backlash, Joe Clapson wrote for the Independent, where he branded those who took issue with the kiss "anti-affection crusaders". Standing his ground, he stated: "I won't stop kissing my kids until they ask me to."
The father of three defiantly penned that he kisses his seven, five, and three-year-olds on the lips whenever they want him to, and if they want to kiss him, then he will gladly accept.
Clapson added that the same invitation is extended to his parents if they ever wanted to share a moment of affection despite him being 40 years old.
He nodded toward David Beckham, a high-profile celebrity who was proud to kiss his children on the lips, and uploaded images of himself doing so to social media.
The writer shared a study that revealed that demonstrating love and affection towards children as they grow up is a great help in their emotional development.
The 40-year-old questioned the alternatives to kissing his children on the lips, joking that perhaps a firm handshake at bedtime is better than a hug.
Clapson wanted to highlight the difference between showing love and affection towards your own children, and those with ill intentions.
One negative comment on the original TikTok read: "Don't kiss your children on the lips fact, because not all humans have the right intentions, do you see what I'm saying? Don't make it acceptable!"
The writer explained that kissing your own children on the lips every now and then is worlds apart from adults who seek to assault minors for their own illegal intentions.
Earlier this year, Aaron Chalmers, a professional MMA Fighter, appeared on The Steven Sulley Study Podcast after he too received backlash for kissing his children on the lips.
"There must be some sad people, sad, sad people, that must have such sad lives to want to go on social media and abuse," Chalmers said.
"You must be sad. Like, you must have a sad life. You must have nothing else in your life than to try and bring others down. Because to me, why?
"I had a picture of my newborn, my newborn baby, and I was kissing him. He’s my f***ing son, I made him, he’s mine. [People said] you shouldn’t be kissing the baby on the lips and I thought ah, f*** off man."
