Is it ok for grandparents to kiss your children on the lips? Netmums user sparks online debate
A mother has divided opinion online after complaining that her mother-in-law keeps kissing her children on the lips.
The anonymous parent took to Netmums to ask if she has a right to be annoyed after noticing that her one-year-old and two-year-old “squirm” when their grandma does it.
She wrote, “Myself and my other half don’t even kiss our kids in this way. I’m not suggesting there’s anything dodgy with her doing this but I’m not easy with it.”
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The mother-of-two added that she feels nervous about bringing it up with her partner’s mum, as it is likely to “blow up into a massive thing”.
Fellow Netmums users were quick to comment with a large number highlighting the potential risks involved with kissing young children on the lips.
One wrote, “I wouldn’t like this at all! I don’t kiss my children on the lips so I don’t want anyone else doing it.”
“I made it clear to every single family member that I didn’t want them kissing my baby when she was first born as I was afraid of the herpes virus that can make them really ill.”
Another commented, “Personally, I think it’s a bit sexual for a child this young to be kissing adults on the lips. Aside from the danger of germs passing across, a child needs to be aware that it is not normal for an adult to have such intimate contact with them.”
But some users took to the digital forum to defend the grandmother with many explaining that they don’t seem a problem with kissing their children on the lips.
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“I don’t see an issue with it but I kiss my two-year-old on the lips and so he’s quite happy to kiss grandparents on the lips,” one user wrote. “My mother-in-law wouldn’t do it, I get the impression she probably didn’t kiss her children. But my family see it as normal.”
“I kiss my four-month-old on the lips, a kiss can just be a harmless gesture of affection but within reason, especially if they’re a bit older and don’t seem to like it,” another commented.
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The debate around kissing children on the lips remains a divisive one with A-listers frequently gracing the headlines after sharing affectionate images via social media.
Most recently, David Beckham came under fire for kissing five-year-old daughter Harper on the lips while Amanda Holden also faced online backlash after giving her six-year-old an affectionate peck.
What do you think?
