Parents warned kissing children on the lips is 'too sexual' and could confuse them

A child psychologist says the mouth is an erogenous zone and can confuse a child

Siobhan Fenton
Friday 21 August 2015 08:40 BST
Comments
A mother kisses her son
A mother kisses her son

A doctor has warned parents against kissing their children on the lips, arguing it is “too sexual”.

Many parents will see it as a simple sign of parental affection, but Dr Charlotte Reznick has warned the mouth is an erogenous zone which “can be stimulating” and subsequently cause confusion for children.

The author of ‘The Power of Your Child’s Imagination: How to Transform Stress and Anxiety Into Joy and Success’, told The Sun that children might associate kissing with sexual or romantic activity between parents and then wonder why their parents were engaging in the same activity with them too.

She says it might cause a child to think: “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.”

The suggestion has been derided by other child psychologists who say there is no harm in such displays of affection. Clinical psychologist Sally-Anne McCormack told the newspaper: “There is absolutely no way that kissing a young child on the lips is confusing for them in any way.

“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.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in