Question on parents kissing their children on the lips June 11th, 2015 Hope McCullough June 11, 2015 Had a question for you all. I was assigned a question about whether it is wrong to kiss your child on the lips. Any opinions? Like · Comment Seen by 31 Stuart Mattfield Not inherently…no…IMHO. Age, comfort level, etc. all will play a factor. 23 hrs · Like Scott D. Foreman No problems with it – during the years that it’s ‘appropriate’, and that really is between parent and child…and that’s factoring in that there is a normal, healthy relationship between the parent and the child. My friend in high school puckered up and kissed his mom on the lips – which I thought was little weird – but there was no inappropriateness and it seemed very normal for them. 23 hrs · Like Tim White The Bible doesn’t prescribe methods of expressing affection to a child. In Bible days, kisses were not considered immoral. Kisses were usually a cheek thing and was a custom of friends greeting. From a biblical standpoint, not much there, so circumstances would dictate that. Small children? should not be a problem. Older children? Teens? The relationship? It is not a black list condemnation in itself. 23 hrs · Like Corpuz Valdemor Avellaneda Ramil It varies from culture to culture. From what country did the questioner come from? 23 hrs · Edited · Like · 2 Corpuz Valdemor Avellaneda Ramil I think for health reasons, especially if the parent has contagious disease it should be avoided. 23 hrs · Like · 2 Jeff Laird All of those things come with some kind of context. The way I “hold hands” at dinner with my wife is superficially identical to the way I “hold hands” with another man at a prayer meeting. They’re taken and intended to be taken in different ways. I try to counsel people not to get hung up on simplistic, legalistic views of morals. There’s more to what makes something right or wrong than just the mechanical aspects. That’s part of Christ’s theme in the Sermon on the Mount. 23 hrs · Like · 4 Steve Ray Webb I can’t imagine this being construed as wrong as long as we are not talking about prolonged kissing and it doesn’t continue past the early toddler stage. It sounds to me like just another way to show affection without it being sexual. 22 hrs · Like · 1 Elizabeth DeVore In my family, we always kissed on the lips. In Tom’s, they didn’t. I initially did with my son, but when I realized it made Tom uncomfortable, I stopped. 22 hrs · Like · 4 Marc Weiss Agree with the others. Personal opinion: It is all parental choice so long as it is not sexual. I would not, but I won’t judge another’s heart. 22 hrs · Like · 1 William Brenner Not for me. If they are very young it will often exchange germs and slober. Unappealing. And when would a transition take place? Why even start? Not necessary and most people would find it weird. So no is the best answer. But there might be some kind of cultural thing that I am not accustomed to. 21 hrs · Like · 2 Vera Rudolph My adult sons live in different states and when we see each other once or twice a year, we always embrace then give a quick kiss on the lips. We did not do this growing up, but it has become a little routine that we do and I LOVE IT! 21 hrs · Like Steve Ray Webb I think the hygiene thing is mostly not part of the question here. I can’t imagine babies and toddlers not already having their parent’s germs. In fact, inheriting a parent’s antibodies is part of having good health. 20 hrs · Like · 2 William Brenner Mostly true. But what it looks like to others does matter to not cause them to be uncomfortable. Many years ago a couple we knew started leaving sex toys in plain site in their home. We stopped visiting them even though they considered it as normal and their choice. I think we set examples and they should not incite controversy or make others feel uncomfortable for their sake. This is much milder, but the principle applies. No need to exchange germs intentionally. That is unavoidable. 19 hrs · Like · 1 Marc Weiss William – that made me laugh. I could see that as “uncomfortable”, but still funny to hear (not experience). 17 hrs · Like Hope McCullough William Brenner our doctor let us know that parents and children share the same germs. We kiss on the mouth but not of anyone is sick. 17 hrs · Like · 1 Hope McCullough But the question asked was if there was anything biblically wrong with it. 17 hrs · Like · 1 Steve Ray Webb 2 Corinthians 13:12 says “greet one another with a holy kiss.” Kissing an infant is about as holy as you can get. I think we are covered biblically! smile emoticon 16 hrs · Like William Brenner Scripture does not describe whether it is on the lips or not. Just not really answerable biblically. But setting the best example is scriptural. So it is something to consider as possibly objectionable to observers. 15 hrs · Like Joseph Ford I loved kissing my boys on the lips when they were young. They decided when they didn’t like Dad kissing them on the lips. Simple affection, and the type of affection changes with age. Nothing bad or unbiblical about it.
