VOTE: Is it wrong to kiss your kids on the lips?
David Beckham is being criticized online after sharing a photo of himself kissing his seven-year-old daughter, Harper, on the lips.
The 43-year-old retired athlete posted the selfie of himself with his daughter taken during a recent skating trip with the caption, “Christmas is coming. Let’s go skate.”
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Christmas is coming 🎅🏼 Let’s go skate ♥️
A post shared by David Beckham (@davidbeckham) on Nov 26, 2018 at 1:35pm PST
The photo immediately garnered mixed reactions from fans, many of whom deemed it inappropriate.
“I don’t care what anyone says if a dad kisses a child on the lips it’s completely wrong,” one follower wrote.
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“Weird – it’s improper for a parent to kiss their kids on the lips; on the forehead/cheeks is cute though,” another person wrote.
Parents stand firmly divided on the issue of whether or not it’s inappropriate or normal to give their children a peck on the lips – that’s why Yahoo wants to hear from you!
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While fans were quick to jump to his defense, Beckham is the latest in a long list of celebrities to receive backlash online for sharing pictures of them kissing their children.
Hilary Duff, Dwayne Wade and Tom Brady have all been at centre of the kissing debate.
Whenever a celebrity, male or female, shares a photo of themself showing affection to their child by kissing on the lips, the comments section of social media erupts into a debate.
A post shared by Hilary Duff (@hilaryduff) on Dec 12, 2016 at 6:44pm PST
The debate also happens offline as well between parenting experts.
According to Roma Khetarpal, a parenting expert and founder of Tools of Growth, the reason people have differing opinions regarding kissing children on the lips is linked to our personal experiences with showing physical displays of affection.
“It’s prevalent in some cultures and not in others, this is the biggest tell-all,” Khetarpal told Global News in 2017. “It comes down to what your family dynamic is- just like any other cultural habit.”
For some European cultures, kissing on the lips and cheeks is a common amongst both adults and children, however, other cultures see such actions offensive.
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Other experts, like child psychologist Charlotte Reznick, are firm believers in not kissing your child on the mouth because it can be confusing for children as they develop.
“If you start kissing your kids on the lips, when do you stop?” Reznick told the Daily Mail. “As a child gets to four or five or six and their sexual awareness develops, the kiss on the lips can be stimulating to them.”
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