Because before too long, real kid-kisses turn into adult air-kisses.
I love kisses.
Especially big, smoochy, dribbly, inconvenient, slimy baby kisses.
The sorts of kisses a large portion of your hygienic-self wants to reject but your heart tells you otherwise.
And isn’t that a relief?
Because a kiss from a child is the most honest thing in the world. They can fake a hug. “Use your arms!” I order my son as he leans in for what I’ve termed ‘The Seal’. A body that leans in to one’s shoulder, beckons to be hugged by someone else and then retreats. No arms involved. Just a body.
But a kiss is so different. A real one. Whether it’s a loving lip-smacker from a toddler, a peck from an almost-teenage son or an open-mouthed Festival of Spit from a baby. A kid-kiss is heavenly.
A smooch from a child requires much more effort, much more comfort, much more love.
But now, one expert warns that kissing on the lips is too sexual.
I’m gobsmacked. Or shall I say, lipsmacked?
Dr Charlotte Reznick, author of ‘The Power of your Child’s Imagination: How to Transform Stress and Anxiety into Joy and Success’ claims, “the kiss on the lips can be stimulating … 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 parents on the mouth? If I had to answer when to stop kissing your kids on the lips, it would be now”.
Top Comments
I am fockerizing the crap outta my kid. I'm savoring every wet, sticky, smooshy kiss she plants on me. If she ever decides that kissing is not her thing, that is ok because I'm all bout consent, but like breastfeeding this is such a sweet, nurturing and bonding stage. I'm not missing it for anything.
My family were kissers too and I always found it repulsive being made to kiss them on the lips. It's also awkward and icky when other peoples kids are used to kissing their families on the lips and try to greet me with a kiss on the lips. I'm definitely a cuddler. I'll kiss friends and their kids on the cheek or forehead but mouth kisses are strictly reserved for sexual partners.
Oh come on, I don't believe any parent etc would ever MAKE a child kiss them on the lips - how exactly did they attempt to enforce that???
They literally grabbed my face and held me in place to kiss me on the lips if I tried to move away.