Kissing your children on the lips

[Anonymous]

I grew up in a very affectionate family. My brother (42 yrs old) still kisses my parents on the lips when he sees them (which is quite often as they live in the same state). I kiss both my parents on the lips as well (alhtough I see them less often than he does). If my son kisses one of his classmates on the lips then I'd tell him lip kisses are only for mom/dad/gramma/grandpa/siblings, etc. I kiss my children (ages 2 and 4), everyday, sometimes on the lips and sometimes on the cheek. I love them so much, like a PP said, I want them to know how loved they are. Although my husband doesn;t kiss his own father, they do hug everytime they see each other, which is a couple of times a year. My older child will say, "mommy, I'm going to kiss you all over and you've got to laugh." He is so sweet, he'll kiss face, cheeks, neck and then he'll starting laughing too much himself. Very special moments. This is just my opinion, FWIW I don't kiss other people's children.

[Anonymous]

I kiss my DS on the lips... so does my DH and his parents and mine... never even thought twice about it... he leans over to give/get kisses all the time... and I still remember the first time that he kissed me just as we were hanging out (he usually just gives kisses when we are leaving or putting him to bed). He has kissed a few of his playgroup buddies - and people thought it was cute... he is barely two... if he ever thinks it is weird I will stop - but I would rather him just love me and his family instead of thinking about what is proper every time he makes a move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was at the park one day and I saw a father talking to his about 11 year old daughter. It seemed like weekend visitation and he was not going to go to her house. She kept saying how she didn't want him to leave. They hugged each other a lot and kissed on the mouth... a lot. I almost called the police, but I did scramble to get my kids out of there.

You could have probably ruined their lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I kiss my 9mo on the lips all the time but wouldnt dream of kissing my 13yo. Of course I wouldnt let ANYONE else kiss either of them on the lips but maybe dad.

3/4/08 18:40, whaddya mean "maybe dad." Are you kidding (bad pun, I know) that it's up to you to "let" or not let the kids' father make a decision about how to kiss your/his kids?

[Anonymous]

Thanks last 2 posters. While I posted as interested in hearing views out there (and honestly had never even crossed my mind as something not to do) I am thankful for the posts from affectionate families that include kissing on the lips. Was shocked by some of the earlier posts. Totally agree that people should do what they are comfortable with, but someone glad to hear I am not the only one that wants this particular kind of show of affection and feels it is perfectly natural.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Well in other countries it's the opposite, kissing your children on the mouth is completely taboo.

And btw, don't assume your kids would never do it to anyone else, my friend was shocked when she saw her kid kiss someone on the mouth - she also assumed it would only be her husband and herself.

Google it, kissing a baby with herpes can be very dangerous for the baby (obviously much more dangerous than for adults)

Yes, and in other countries people co-sleep and dont blink at giving ten year olds wine w/ dinner.

In this country it is okay to shower with, sleep with and kiss your kids. Thank God I live here. I do all three

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I totally agree! I want my children to remember that they were hugged, snuggled, loved and kissed a ton. AND I DO NOT WANT MY HUSBAND TO SHAKE HANDS WITH MY SON-- I hope for hugs. It makes me so sad when I see my Dad and brothers shake hands.

You are so right. How sad is it to see FAMILY not be able to HUG or KISS. I can not imagine my children not hugging me or each other. I make them hug and kiss after a fight. We are a very touchy family. I think not doing so is weird !!

[Anonymous]

I kiss our 2 year old daughter on the lips all the time. In fact she asks for kisses. We have lots of hugs as well. If others don't feel comfortable then they should not. We're not all built the same. We all grew up with different types of affection in our home, but by no means is it "off limits" for mommy or daddy to kiss their child on the lips. If the child asks for it to stop then that may be time to change, but at a very young age it's one of many ways to be very loving and affectionate to your child and I cringe when I hear posters say that it's "gross" or "can spread disease". If the worst thing that comes from kissing your child on the lips is that they try it with someone else other than mommy or daddy - and you have to explain to them why that may not be appropriate - then we'd all be living in a much more loving and happy place!

[Anonymous]

At what age do you stop showering with the kids?

[Anonymous]

I kiss my kids on the lips (both elementary school age). I kiss my in laws on the lips. I kiss my friends on the lips. I kiss my brothers on the lips. I think I kiss everyone I love on the lips. Never got an infection or disease and don't think I ever transmitted one. Like a PP, I can't imagine life without affection - hugs, kisses, snuggling when we watch videos, falling asleep on the floor together, etc. And, even in elementary school, they still love the kiss goodbye as I drop them in front of the school. When it gets embarrassing, I'll stop.

[Anonymous]

pp, you might have something by now. Just forgo the clean dishes at the restaurant.

[Anonymous]

Lips were made for kissing...use them!

My DH and I kiss our son (2yo) on the lips and cheeks all the time. He initiates kisses back too. It's too sweet and I love it. I'm sure there'll be a time later on when he doesn't want anything to do with me, so it'll stop. In the meantime, I'm enjoying it.

[Anonymous]

My husband always thought kissing on the lips was wrong, but I still do it. My 6yo is a big boy and wont let me kiss him. My 4yo will give me kisses and let me kiss him IF his friends are not around. My 3yo will let me kiss him and he will give me kisses also. I love my little men and want to shower them with love. I also kiss the babies sometimes at the daycare I work at on the cheek because they're so cute I don't kiss the kids in my class 3-4yo but they give me plenty of hugs

[Anonymous]

Cheeks, forehead, chin, lips, hands, belly button, (freshly bathed) tushy and feet...all fair game for my 3yo daughter. Sigh, there will come an age when she refuses all this affection and/or I feel she is too old for some it but am not sure when that will be. I have to say that I am uncomfortable with the idea of kissing a 13yo on the lips (or tushy for that matter) so the "when to stop" is likely to happen before the pre-teen years. But for now, I am just going to enjoy it!

Our daughter does kiss others - her friends, our friends, relatives - mostly on the cheeks. I don't know if that is because she already understands the difference in treatment between mommy/daddy versus everybody else, or if others just naturally turn the cheek when they see a kiss coming on (and I would do that with another persons children), or just coincidence...I think that preschoolers, and certainly older children, can understand that we do certain things with mommy and daddy, but not with others - and if she can "save" her poop for mom and dad (lucky us), then she can certainly learn to save lip kisses for us. Kids are also capable of understanding that some behaviors must change as they get older - diapers are for babies, certain toys are for babies (or for "big kids"), so I am confident that we can make the transition when the time comes, whenever that is...

[Anonymous]

22:17 you shouldn't be kissing other kids at daycare. If you were a nanny that would be one thing, but if this is a day care center that is trying to control disease transmission, it is not fair to the infants.