Kissing children on the mouth is 'too sexual', doctor warns parents

A doctor has warned parents against kissing their children on the lips, arguing that it is "too sexual". Dr Charlotte Reznick, author of The Power of Your Child's Imagination: How to Transform Stress and Anxiety into Joy and Success, said the mouth is an erogenous zone which "can be stimulating", and a kiss on the mouth by a parent may be confusing.

She told The Sun that that the sign of affection regarded as innocent by many parents could cause a child top 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." Experts, though, have derided Dr Reznick's claims.

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."

One parent, Rachelle, told the Huffington Post: "My little boy only knows that kissing is on the lips or an 'ouch'. When we say give kisses when we have to leave somewhere, he purses his lips and gives everyone a kiss on the lips. He will even just come up to us on the sofa and kiss us randomly on the lips. It's a sign of affection. My god what is the world coming to thinking a sign of affection towards or from your child is sexual?"