A psychologist has spoken out urging parents to stop kissing their children on the lips.
Despite being completely innocent, there have been many celebrities who have been criticized for kissing their kids on the mouth. Despite many parents seeing no harm in the affectionate gesture, it seems like there is still a huge proportion of the public who are left uncomfortable by a kiss on the lips.
For example, soccer legend David Beckham has often been criticized for sharing Instagram posts of him sharing a kiss with his daughter, Harper.
In 2022, the England soccer star was bombarded with comments such as "please do not kiss your daughter on the lips" and "she is a big girl now time for you to stop kissing her on the lips" after sharing sweet photos of a dad-and-daughter walk.
Beckham has previously defended his stance on showing his children affection, saying in a 2017 Facebook Live session: "I’m very affectionate with the kids. It’s how I was brought up, and Victoria, and it’s how we are with our children.
"We want to show our kids love, and you know, we’re very affectionate with them."
He revealed that it's not just Harper he kisses on the lips but all of his kids up until they reach adulthood, adding: "I got criticized for kissing my daughter on the lips. I kiss all my kids on the lips. Brooklyn, maybe not. Brooklyn’s 18 [at the time], he might find that a little bit strange."
But child and educational psychologist Dr. Charlotte Reznick has spoken out about why parents should cease kissing their children on the lips.
Dr. Reznick - author of The Power of Your Child's Imagination: How to Transform Stress and Anxiety Into Joy and Success - was asked by CafeMom when is the "perfect" time to stop kissing your child on the lips. She responded by saying: "The answer is in your question.
"If you start kissing your kids on the lips, when do you stop? It gets very confusing."
The psychologist then shared an example of a six-year-old girl who is still kissed on the lips by her dad. Despite being completely innocent on both sides, Dr. Reznick says that the girl could then start to try and kiss her school classmates on the lips, and mistakingly be placed in the role of "sexual harasser".
"As a child gets to four or five or six and their sexual awareness comes about [...] the kiss on the lips can be stimulating to them," Reznick adds. "Even if that never occurs to a child, it's just too confusing! If mommy kisses daddy on the mouth and vice versa, what does that mean when I, a little girl or boy, kiss my parent on the mouth?
"If I had to answer when to stop kissing your kids on the lips, it would be now," Reznick concludes.
So, do you agree with Reznick? Let us know in the comments section.