The controversial comments made by Dr Charlotte Reznick back in 2010 have come back…and they’ve gone viral again.
Dr Reznick a child and educational psychologist says parents shouldn’t kiss their children on the lips because it’s too sexual.
“If you start kissing your kids on the lips, when do you stop? It gets very confusing,” she said during an interview.
“As a child gets to 4 or 5 or 6 and their sexual awareness comes about the kiss on the lips can be stimulating to them.”
She adds: “Even if that never occurs to a child, 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 parent on the mouth?”
Dr Reznick finished the interview by telling parents: “If I had to answer when to stop kissing your kids on the lips, it would be now.”
Her comments have split opinion online and caused outrage among some.
“I just saw a news headline "Don't kiss your kids on the lips- too sexual” I don't want to live on this earth anymore,” one individual tweeted. Another wrote: “My kids all kiss me on the lips and I still kiss my parents that way too. Expert my arse.”
But is there agreement with Dr Reznick’s logic? It seems, there’s not.
Dr. Paul Hokemeyer, a family therapist, says there should naturally be boundaries within the relationship but that there is nothing wrong with kissing your child on the lips.
“It’s important that parents keep and maintain boundaries with their children,” he told Yahoo Parenting. “But in terms of expressing affection this feels within the realm of normal.”
Clinical psychologist Sally-Anne McCormack agrees. “There’s absolutely no way that kissing a young child on the lips is confusing for them in any way,” she told the Sun.
“That’s like saying breastfeeding is confusing. Some people might have issues with it, but it isn’t any more sexual than giving a baby a back rub.”
Let us know what you think! Should parents stop kissing their children on the lips?