Many believe kissing your child on the lips and posting it on social media is inappropriate. While others would be appalled that a pure gesture of love between a mother and her child would even generate such negative responses.
Recently, a seemingly harmless photo Victoria Beckham posted to mark her youngest daughter’s 5th birthday has earned much scrutiny. While most people won’t see anything wrong with the image of Victoria kissing her child on the lips, the image has earned the ire of some of her followers.
Because of this, various articles delved deeper into why a simple image stirred up controversy. The BBC described how some of Beckham’s bashers were exhibiting a “vague sense of unease”. They even enlisted the help of a “social etiquette” expert to provide their take on the issue. Their verdict? It’s ultimately a parent’s choice.
Despite a few negative comments, however, the response was largely positive. “The fact that Victoria Beckham is getting backlash for kissing her daughter on the lips is so worrying,” commented one parent. “What is wrong with people?”
While it all boils down to personal preference, a large part of it is cultural. The important thing, as most would agree, is to focus on the pure, loving motivation behind the act and to refrain from tainting it with prejudice.
Find out what parents had to say about the issue over on theAsianparent Community on the next page
Months before this, however, one theAsianparent Community user addressed a similar issue. The conversation began when one Samantha asked this question:
screengrab: theAsianparent Community
“We kiss on the lips as we did with our parents,” wrote mom R. Gosh in response. “I want My LO to feel my love and affection for her. In fact she always kisses me on the lips too. And it is co cute who can resist?”
“Yes! I think we live in an oversensitized world,” says mom of two Cathy L. “Totally okay, at least when they’re little!”
Rose Cheung thinks it’s absolutely okay to kiss your baby. “They look so darn adorable – how not to?” she wrote.
“I don’t get it. They are your kids. Why can’t you kiss them on the lips?”
“I don’t get it. They are your kids. Why can’t you kiss them on the lips?” wondered Stephanie G. “But I understand that once they reach a certain age they start to feel shy (especially boys) and it becomes socially awkward to kiss mummies or daddies on the lips. You should do it as long as it lasts you! They will outgrow it soon.”
She does, however, share how some of her friends “refrain themselves from kissing their children on the lips lest they think it’s normal and start kissing other adults they meet on their lips. So to prevent others from doing so they deprive themselves of the joy of kissing.”
“I do kiss my daughter, but I don’t kiss her on her lips that much,” says Jamie K. “Babies younger than 3 months old with immune systems which are not fully developed are susceptible to cold sores which can be transmitted when an adult with the herpes virus kisses a baby on the mouth. For older kids, it’s fine.”
“Kiss your kids more while you can,” urges Melissa S. “When they are much older, they might start to not want our kisses anymore. Don’t about the stares from strangers, they might just be admiring the love between parent and child.”
READ: “Don’t kiss my newborn baby on the mouth”
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