Jessica Alba covers the April issue of Redbook magazine in a Amanda Uprichard dress. I don’t know what Alba’s promoting with this cover interview. Maybe Sin City 2? That movie doesn’t come out until late August. I think Alba is promoting The Honest Company because that topic fits the Redbook demo. Alba has carved out a lucrative secondary career in providing environmentally friendly cleaning products and baby-related supplies.
Redbook concentrates upon Alba’s new career and doesn’t ask about her acting at all — at least in these excerpts. They ask her about parental affection towards children, but the context of the question is unclear. Was Alba lunching with the journo as they observed an act of parent-child affection? Perhaps Alba brought up the topic based upon an experience of her own. Here are some excerpts:
Alba realizes some parents don’t kiss their children on the mouth: “Really? Why?! It’s your baby. People allow dogs to lick at their mouths.”
Alba loves her Mommy & Me group: “They’re some of my closest girlfriends. It’s weird when we’re doing normal mom things and there’s paparazzi around. That’s the only thing that makes everyone uncomfortable.”
She has a Craigslist problem: “I bought my hot pink desk off Craigslist. I have a problem. I love vintage furniture, and refurbishing is one of the most eco things you can do. I also got a couple of cool chairs and Danish mid-century credenzas off of Craigslist.”
Her husband, Cash Warren, has obsessions too: “All he watches is sports. Fantasy football is so annoying–there’s always a game on,” she says of the sock designer. “Though he says I’m addicted to Instagram, so it goes both ways!”
[From Redbook]
Wait a second. I’m wondering what the heck Alba was talking about with the last question. Or rather, the narrative provided by Redbook. Is Cash Warren a “sock designer” for real? *Excitedly Googles* It is true. How very Rob Kardashian of him.
Beyond the sock distraction, I have to wonder what prompted Alba to discuss kissing one’s one children. Is this really a big deal? People kiss their children on the mouth all the time. I do it. My friends do it. Everyone I know with kids does it every day. There isn’t anything strange about a quick peck on the lips. I feel like anyone who has a problem with it might have some hidden issues of their own. Innocent gestures of affection don’t have to be sexual. Just because Miley Cyrus sexualizes everything doesn’t mean everyone feels that way.
Photos courtesy of Redbook
Eh? Is this a thing? Everyone kisses everyone on the lips in my family. Old and young alike. I agree – it’s more worrying that there’s an assumed problem with it somewhere in that interview.
First time I’ve ever heard of the possibility of anybody having a problem with kissing your kids on the lips….maybe it’s an LA thing?
Yep, I kiss my 2 yo and 9mo on the lips all of the time, I also kiss their foreheads, cheeks, chins, basically their entire face because they are the cutest faces in the world to me. It’s not an open mouth lingering kiss, just pecks and my husband does it too. I’m sure my son will be shoving me away sooner then later so I have to get them in while I can! I don’t kiss anyone else on the lips besides my husband though.
Smother them while you can. My 6 yo runs away screaming and laughing when I try to kiss him now. I have to steal kisses these days. In fact I played him “steal my kisses” by Ben Harper the other day and told him that was my new song for him. 😉
It’s not just an LA thing. I’m born and mostly raised in North Carolina, and no one in my immediate family ever kissed on the lips. My parents and grandparents kissed me on the forehead or cheek, and I was happy with it. Their parents kissed them on the forehead or cheek as well.
If I have children, they will be kissed on the forehead. No one will kiss my children on the lips until they’re old enough to have their dates kiss them. Kissing on the lips transfers germs and has even been linked to changing one’s gut flora for the worse.
My ex-fiance’s sister kissed her daughter on the lips, as did the entire family, and they transferred the herpes virus to her. It’s pretty shocking to see a 6 year old with a big, fat cold sore on her lip. And she will have it for the rest of her life, through no fault of her own! (Yes, I’m very careful whom I kiss and have never had a cold sore. Knock on wood. I refuse to give my kids something contagious and/or permanent.)
Every parent has the right to determine how they wish to kiss their child. I’m speaking for myself and my family.
No, it’s not an LA thing. I kiss my kids on the lips.. Everyone I know does I think. I’ve actually never thought about it. Weird.
I kiss my kids on the lips. They’re so delicious and irresistible 😊
My family is a big old group of full on the mouth kissers, too – regardless of age. Obviously not in a creepy way. I can’t believe there are people out there who would actually take issue with a parent kissing their child on the lips. I think those people are the weirdos, right?
Let me tell you something. My father used to kiss my sister and I on the lips when we were children. One day, when we attended mass with my mother (we were still very young), we were sitting in one of the front rows… It was time to give peace (in the catholic religion it’s when you shake hands or kiss to give peace) so my three year old sister and I (5) kissed on the lips. After mass was over, the priest called my mom and told her something. I remember when we came back home she yelled at my father and told him never to kiss us again on the lips as that idiot priest told her it was disrespectful and inappropriate to God. After all these years, I cannot believe how my mother could have been so ignorant to listen to some man who thinks he’s the moral compass in my community. So yeah, there are weirdos who think it is wrong. However, I do kiss my dad on the lips… I’m 32 and I will always be his child. Dad rocks!
I’m 32 and I still kiss my parents on the lips!!! I find it weird when someone makes it sexual because it’s the least sexual thing!!! Didn’t know this was even an issue?! If you don’t like it, don’t look!!
My mother still wants to kiss me on the lips. And I’m old.
My family are mouth kissers too, I never thought it was weird until my boyfriend said something about it. Meh, I kiss my son on the lips but he doesn’t, I guess it is an affection comfort thing.
Mine are too! It is almost quite comedic to watch. Everyone puffs their lips up and out as far as they can, making their best duck face and then they make a “smoochie” sound. Then I met my husband and they basically do the double cheek air beverly hills kiss which drives me bonkers with its pretentiousness and insincerity. Lol.
If the mouth doesn’t open I see no issue. And as long as there’s no inscestuous intent of course.
Aside from that side lip to cheek kisses is how my family and friends all greet eachother.
This article seems like a non-story.
We don’t kiss on the mouth in my family. It’s a French thing 😉
Unfortunately, I have heard people say “that’s disgusting, you shouldn’t be kissing him/her on the mouth”. Usually it’s someone taking issue if said kissing is father to son. As if a man kissing his baby boy on the lips will somehow “turn the boy gay”. SMH
@ MrsB
I grew up in North America, and find it gross when adult children kiss their parents on the mouth. That’s something you do with your intimate partner. I also know that we are all different and what someone finds gross, another finds as showing affection or love (in a non-sexual way). I remember when Angelina Jolie kissed her brother on the lips and people were disgusted. To each their own.
There is zero kissing on lips/cheeks/anything in my family, but I certainly wouldn’t fault a parent for kissing her/his child on the lips. I just come from a long line of un-affectionate people. 🙁
I’ll give you a big old smooch on the cheek, amilu!!
@amilu We don’t kiss in our family, though I wouldn’t call us un- affectionate, just dry. We do brief hugs and we love deeply, just not demonstrative. There has always been an affectionate member or 2 and they just don’t let our dryness stop them. So if you feel affectionate hug them you could be the one who starts the change in your family. Big hug to you 🙂
Hahah! Thanks, bluhare & Anon.
I get a hug and a “love you” from my mom twice a year — Christmas & my birthday. I’m used to it. She’s great otherwise, but growing up it was (and still is) always kind of a bummer. I do go out of my way to be more affectionate with my aging grandparents and my father now.
I don’t have kids (yet?), but if I did, I know I would be annoyingly affectionate. 🙂
Sometimes I don’t get Americans. In our family it was normal to kiss on the lips, not just kids, but also grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. What’s the big deal? It’s not like I would suddenly develop perverted incestuous sexual feelings for my grandmother because of a peck.
I understand preferences and comfort boundaries, so everybody should do as he/she wants. But those people who don’t kiss their childred on the lips because they think it’s amoral or bad would probably have a heart attack in a Finnish sauna.
I don’t allow people to kiss my daughter on the lips but it isn’t because I think it is sexual. I don’t let people share drinks with her either; I just don’t know where people’s lips have been. So many adults now have mouth herpes and cold sores and I don’t want her getting them. I know they aren’t supposed to be contagious unless there is a sore but I don’t care. My good frien growing up got her cold stores from parental pecks on the lips and I refuse to let anyone get in the habit of kissing my daughter on the lips lest they forget themselves. I don’t judge other people who do it to their own family members, but keep your lips off my kid.
@SunnySide My mother felt the same way. She never kissed me on the lips and other family members didn’t either. She also forbade me to share drinks with others. It seems to have worked because I never developed cold sores. I don’t have kids, but I don’t plan on kissing them on the lips either. I actually think there was a case where a father kissed his kid on the lips and the child got very ill and died. Here’s a link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2287767/Two-month-old-baby-boy-killed-cold-sore-virus-loving-kiss-father.html
I kiss my daughter on the lips. Not sure if this is a big deal or if she is trying to get press. *Fry meme over*
@nkn thanks for the link! That’s what I am talking about right there!
Yeah it never occurred to me that kissing your child on the lips would be anything to get crazy over. Meh.
Well, I don’t go crazy over it, but in my country it is not the norm. My parents didn’t do it, I don’t. If I see it, I can’t help but notice, whereas a kiss on the cheek would not be worth mentioning.
Same, I think its a cultural thing. I was raised with a kiss on the cheek (my parents aren’t from america) and I’m fine with not kissing on the mouth.
Heck, I’ve kissed girlfriends on the lips. A peck, no tongue (although I think one of them wouldn’t have minded). 🙂
Should she really have to defend this though? People are OTT over the strangest things. I kiss my niece on the lips occasionally. It’s a totally non-sexual thing. I think it says more about the people that are offended by it than it does about Jessica and her parenting/relationship with her kids.
Why has it taken 10 yrs for SinCity 2 , am i the only one who liked the first?
I loved it too. RIP Brittany Murphy
I find it a bit yucky. Not sexual and I don’t have issues, but yucky. I very very rarely see anyone kissing their child on the lips. Maybe it’s a culturological thing.
It must be. I had an aunt who used to want to do it and I remember shoving her very roughly away. The family still laughs about
Maybe. We’re Canadian, and I clearly remember my mom kissing us on the lip. They were ‘guppy fish kisses’ though and lasted for a fraction of a second. It was only when we were really little, under 5 I think. After that she was lucky to be able to catch us for a hug.
I think it is totally fine with lip kisses, as long as there is nothing behind it but brotherly or familial love. My grandaughter loves to kiss me and my husband on the lips. She is four, and it is just affection to her.
I’m not about it either, personally, but there’s nothing wrong with people who do it. I tend to be a big time hugger but I’ll admit I’m slightly uptight about kissing mouths.
My parents never kissed me on the mouth and I never felt any lack of love and affection.
I do, however, have a rather creepy middle aged second-cousin-in-law who roughly plants huge on-the-lip kisses on all of us younger female cousins. It skeeves me out because HE skeeves me out lol.
I think Alba comes off as a bit judgey though. To each their own would have been a nice addition to what she said here.
ETA I would never and have never let a dog lick anywhere even near my face, and I can’t stand to watch when others let dogs lick their faces. So disgusting. But I’ll repeat, I’m a self-appointed uptight person about some things!
In my culture it’s uncommon as well. I was taught from an early childhood that mouth kisses are for adults who are in love and other types of kisses (on the lips/forehead etc) are for children. No one kisses their children on the lips here and now I can’t help but feel uncomfortable when I see parents kissing their children like that, no matter how much I try to convince myself it’s normal. I’m sure that if I was raised in a different culture, I would be fine with it. In my home country older men kiss women on the hand during a greeting and it’s something normal and common but people from many other countries find it weird or gross.
The same in my country. It’s something you just don’t see here, and I would find it weird seeing e.g. adult man kissing little girl on the mouth and would rather convince myself that it was innocent than assume that automaticly. It’s simply something for couples, unless you try to “steal” kisses in a game and some land on the mouth.
Honestly it reminds me of seeing news from Russia – when tv would show some important man kissing each other on the mouth in a greeting.
I always wondered about this. Is it just a parent child thing or is it a family thing? I was raised in a house of prudes so it is only ever cheek kisses all around.
I have 4 kids that I love to pieces but I never kiss them on the lips – a peck of the cheeck or forehead. Kids are skimmish and a quick peck is about all they can take.
It never occured to me to kiss my kids on the lips, more of an intimate sexual act.
I don’t really get this logic. I think intent matters a lot. Breastfeeding and vaginal sonograms are not sexual even though they involve the same mechanisms of sex acts. I’m not saying you’re wrong; if you’re uncomfortable, of course, why do it, I just don’t really get it.
I wish my six year old would still let me kiss her, she just makes faces at me now.
Yeah, I grew up in a family that didn’t do the “lip kiss” thing. So for me, I find it weird to see a grown woman kissing her dad on the lips or a grown man kissing his mom on the lips. But then again, I get grossed out when people let their dogs lick their faces. It’s just a personal thing, or maybe even a cultural thing. I don’t know, but do what makes you comfortable.
First, she strikes me as a first class moron.
Second, my parents stopped kissing us on the lips when we were about five, so that’s what I’m used to. Our affection is real, but I kiss their cheek, and that’s fine with me. I have no problem with other people kissing their kids on the lips if that’s what they’re used to. I don’t think one is “better” than the other. I don’t even know why she’s talking about it.
Third, I wouldn’t know what to do if my husband watched football all the time. I would shoot one of us. Thank you, thank you God for giving me a husband who likes to read and talk and sail and only occasionally watches sports on TV. I’d much rather be outside on a beautiful day than inside watching him watch other people play sports. I can’t imagine anything more boring. Except maybe designing socks.
Presumably, she’s talking about it in response to something she was asked – which is the bit that bothers me. And exactly. Some families are more demonstrative than others. It’s all good.
Occasionally, there’ll be a new boyf or girlf arrive to a junior member of my extended family and they can be a bit taken aback. You can see it on their faces: “Oh my lord, they’re all planting gigantic smackeroonies ON EACH OTHER’S LIPS. Heyulp!” After a while, they either join in or they don’t. Mostly, they do. Because it isn’t a thing. It’s just a hi or a bye or a happy birthday or a merry Christmas between people who share the affection of family and friends.
This just reminded me of the kissing family they had in a couple SNL skits.
If my bf kissed his parents on the lips, I would be mortified.
Sixer, hilarious about the newcomers’ reactions. I think it’s all good, too.
I’ll kiss your family, Sixer! My family wasn’t that affectionate, although my parents always kissed us on the lips. Some friends come from much more exuberantly affectionate families and they have slowly but surely eroded my stiffness. I used to not hug. Now I’ll hug anybody. I shook up my British relatives last year when I was there. It was fun. 🙂
My family was like that too. My mom would kiss me on the lips all the time when I was a small kid but as I grew older I naturally gravitated to cheek kisses. It’s not ever something I thought I’d think about again, honestly, it was such a non-event and just a part of childhood.
I’d be a little weirded out as an adult, but whatever. Some people are more demonstrative and I’m a “don’t touch me unless we’re really close friends/family” kind of person.
In what way does she sound like a moron?
Well, she compares kissing her baby on the lips to people letting their dogs lick their face, she acts like she’s embarrassed that the paparazzi are following her around when she’s trying to do normal “mom” stuff when we know she’s probably thrilled or called them herself, she says refinishing old furniture is one of the “most eco things you can do,” which is silly, she’s addicted to Instagram, her husband spends his life watching tv and designing socks, pretty much everything she said came across as vapid to me. Am I being too harsh? Maybe moron was too mean. But do you find her smart?
I can’t speak for Jaye but I didn’t think she sounded smart necessarily, but not really dumb either. I thought she sounded like kind of a run of the mill soccer mom to me, one who happens to have papparazzi follow her sometimes. She seems like she tries to play her Hollywood connection down, at least here anyway, which I thought was OK.
I guess shallow would have been a more accurate description than moron. Sometimes I can be very harsh in my snap judgments. It’s something I need to work on.
@Goodnames…I’ve never really followed her so I don’t have an opinion about her one way or the other. I just didn’t think what I read in the little bit of the interview that’s referenced made her seem moronic.
What a ridiculously pointless interview.
Oh Jessica, the paps are always around because you call them, stop treating us as if we’re stupid.
I thought the same thing.
How the hell do you get into the “I design socks” for a living business???? Like “just socks”…REALLY??? Do you think Cash has a pad of paper and a pencil and when the commercials come on, during his sports programs, he sketches a sock??? “Jessica, what about a blue sock?” “Nevermind, the games back on”!
I know how stupid is Cash Warren? Not surprising since his wife is dumb and dull as dishwater. She should stick to modeling and shut her trap. I just love how that “sock designer” thing was casually tossed into the interview. LMFAO. How embarrassing. You have to be scraping the barrel to call yourself a sock designer. So now we can add a new “career” to trust fund babies: there is the ever present “jewelry designers” and now we have “sock designers”. How do these people hold their head up at parties?
Hahaha @MrsBPitt! I laughed out loud, thank you for that.
I know, I tried to imagine how that “job” works, too, and came up blank. Nice work! 🙂
If she has cold sores she can give it to her kids this way so not the best idea as the blisters are painful.
My Mom gets cold sores, my ex boyfriend did too, I have kissed both on the mouth and I have never had cold sores. Some people know better than to pass that shit around.
My mother has cold sores, I have them. My husband does not. The doctor told me that as far as herpes go, 33% of people are immune. Of the rest, some will get it once and the rest of us poor bastards will get it repeatedly.
I have a very affectionate family, but we have never kissed on the lips. I don’t think anything is wrong with it, but people making it seem like you have some weird issues if you don’t is just the other side of the coin.
But the cold sores thing is real; many little kids have cold sores because of parents kissing them on the lips. You can pass it on even if you don’t have a sore! Also sharing drinks. You can also pass on mono, and if your baby is a spitty, mouth bacteria and infection.
Also, I am not a parent but the paranoid side of me would not want my little baby to think lip kisses are a normal thing from adults. I know, I’m crazy.
Sock designer, my first big laugh of the day. Maybe his constant football watching is how he counters the emasculation?
As for kissing, what’s good for you is good for you and vice versa. I was super affectionate with my boys but as they get older they squirm away and that’s fine. We still hug a lot now that they are teens and I’m grateful because I know plenty of teens who would rather put sticks in their eyes than hug their parents!
Yeah, my balked at hugging from the time he was a preteen until he turned 18. Now he’s all over me like a cheap suit! LOL
See now, I’m the queen of snark and there’s a thing that I’d never snark over. I can’t see how spontaneous affection between friends could ever be gross. I thought that kiss was lovely.
Just to note that my comment appears as a non sequitur now but it was in response to a very unpleasant one which is no longer extant. I didn’t have a brain freeze!
Her deal in interviews is to complain about something, put down her peers (‘bad directors’ comment), fish for compliments, and throw something in about how it is SO DARN difficult being famous/pretty! Read some of her past interviews. It’s what she does.
Sure, some families kiss on the mouth and it just fine. Stars do it too- Javier Bardim kissed his mom on the mouth at the Oscars. Michael Douglas has kissed his dad on the mouth in view of cameras several times. Unless, of course, your Angelina Jolie, then you are evil and everybody, including the media, uses it as proof of being the worst person ever. And evidence of being the wildest person in Hollywood who has never been arrested, killed anyone, assaulted anyone, never been to rehab, never had a dui ,never been abuse to coworkers, never been late to work, but, nonetheless wild and evil.
The mother’s saliva can be very benefiting for the baby’s immune system – so congrats to her! Not only is it a sign of love and affection (very important for emotional development) but also boosting the baby’s health. People should kiss their babies much more.
http://healthland.time.com/2013/05/06/moms-saliva-can-strengthen-babies-immune-systems/
Sorry, but that’s not completely true. As a dental student, when started put Pedo class/rotation, one of the very first things they taught us was that the caries (cavity causing) bacteria is most frequently passed frommother to child, and that it was almost essential either to work to get the parent/child mouth kissing to stop (as well as soon sharing, cleaning a pacifiedr with moms mouth, etc), or treat all active caries in the moms mouth to eliminate (reduce, really), the transmission of bacteria. But, the best thing to do was to stop the mouth to mouth contact. Something that, admittedly, will almost never happen.
Sorry for the ramble, I’m just passionate about oral health! Lol
WHOA???? WHAT???!!! Are you saying that kissing someone on the lips who has cavities can be a cause of YOU getting cavities? I’ve NEVER, EVER HEARD THAT BEFORE! WHOA!
Yes, Dr. Ellie Philips has always said that if you have one family member with gum/tooth problems, everybody has to get with the program to reduce the pathogenic microbial population or else they’ll just keep passing around the microbeasties. Adults can use her system of rinses (Closys to get at some of the micros, then tooth brushing, then Listerine to get at more micros and prep teeth for the next step, finished off with ACT nonalcoholic fluoride rinse and xylitol in some form after eating/drinking). Kiddies can do well with just the xylitol, which seems to starve the microbeasties. Whatever, it really worked for me. But it makes sense to be careful about germ sharing.
Alexa-
Kissing can transmit the bacteria that ultimately causes cavities, but it won’t necessarily cause you to have cavities. Cavities aren’t just caused by the bacteria – what you eat, hygiene, saliva amount and quality, etc., all impact the process. Basically, if your good qualities (saliva, habits, some genetic predisposition) > the negative ones (bacteria amount, bad habits, bad genetic stuff) you won’t get cavities, even in the presence of bacteria.
But, yes, we are constantly told that dental caries are multifactorial AND TRANSMISSBLE. So watch where you put your mouth! Lol
We’re mouth kissers also.
With my parents, they’re cheek kissers. However, my brother is. 35-yo muscles up biker policeman, and every time he sees my daddy he kisses him on his cheek (and I have a young dad – 57)
We grew up kissing Mom and Dad on the lips. Not in a sexual way like some ppl on here are implying, just plain old affection, like you might kiss your grandma. I have no problem with it. Kiss away!!!!
Her husband seems like a really productive kind of guy. Does he have time for a job or is he simply too busy “watching sports” and using instagram?
job, schmob, who needs a job when you are married to a multi-millionaire?
But he does have a job: sock designer. *rolls eyes*
Nasty aren’t we??
Sorry but Cash is worth more then Alba check out who his father is.
She said that they only thing he WATCHES is spots , so I don’t know how that translates into that the only thing he dose ?
Our family kisses on the lips. I kiss my 10 year old daughter on the mouth as well as my 79 year old daddy. It’s not gross to me/us and it feels natural and sweet.
I think if you’re looking at it otherwise, perhaps there are other issues at play for you that we don’t experience.
I give a quick peck on my kid’s lips, but they are nearly 3 and 9 months. I’m sure as they get older, I’ll just move to the cheek or their forehead. I personally see nothing wrong or sexual about it. My husband won’t do it, I guess it’s all about personal preference.
Redbook concentrates upon Alba’s new career and doesn’t ask about her acting at all — at least in these excerpts
——————————————————————————————————————————————-Quelle surprise – not!!! What’s there to ask about in terms of her acting? The only acting she seems to do is pose and play happy family for the paps!
I kiss my kids on the lips but that’s it. I have a great uncle in his 80’s who insists on kissing on the lips and it makes me want to vomit. I actually get excited to go to family gatherings just so I can force the cheek on him. It really bugs him. He’s also, I’m finding out, an old perv.
Has anyone tried the Honest Co. yet? I did and the diapers were great but it is so expensive!! They give stuff to poor mothers, yeah, but some of us are close to poor and still want to use eco-friendy diapers. Then, you look through the internet and see her giving Honest stuff to every celeb out there. If you decide to cancel, there is no way to do it except over the phone. Everything else can be done online but they make you call to get out of the contract. It would be easier to get out of Scientology than to quit the Honest Co. Good products but totally obnoxious.
I have and the products are not bad. I have only used the kitchen and bath products. The pricing did not concern me, doing the bundle is cheaper, it was that I did not use it fast enough for it to be recurring and that is why I canceled. Whoever she is working with, they were really smart about it.
That was another thing I hated about it was that you HAVE to get it monthly, if you choose the bundle. I didn’t mind paying a bit more but who’s to say I’ll need another 200 diapers one month from today. Too many rules. Diapers.com is my trusty standby.
Yeah, I do it all the time. It’s weird that someone would assume it’s weird.
Yup, I kiss my kids on the lips too, don’t see how this is a problem for some people. My grandmother and mom have always kissed me and my kids on the lips and sometimes I do with my girlfriends as well. Non issue.
My husband and I both kiss our daughter on the lips. It’s perfectly normal in our house.
I dont know she brought it up either. Unless she got criticized for it? Unless she was thinking about Stephanie Seymour. The woman who kissed her gay son on the mouth, and he was grabbing her boob? And then they did a creepy Vanity Fair shoot? Maybe she’s talking about that? God I don’t know.
I never put too much thought into it but kind of followed what my kids did. My oldest son has always been very affectionate but never kissed on the lips. I was cool with that. My little guy is not terribly affectionate but his kisses were always smack on the mouth. I was cool with that too. Of course now (he’s 4), he only lets me blow him kisses haha
People think about stuff WAAAYYYY too much.
I’m in my 30s and my mom still kisses me on the mouth. My 3 year old always goes for the prolonged, sloppy mouth kiss, but I try to avoid it since I have suffered enough toddler plagues already this winter.
Did anyone else think of Friends where Ross is at the wedding and he’s just like “ALWAYS ON THE LIPS!!!”
I will kiss my 5yo on the lips until he pushes me away, but I HATE when any one other than my husband or I kiss him on the lips. It’s not a sexual aspect by any means, but I don’t know where the heck they’re lips have been, I mean, ewwww…..Or what they’re passing to my son (cold sores, flu, viruses, etc).
I have a really hard time with this and DH’s family.
My son and I used to give each other pecks on the lips until he turned 5 or 6 when he put the kibosh on it. He even wanted to curtail hugging but I put that kibosh on THAT. You can’t just walk around looking as cuddly as he did when he was 5 and expect me to not want to get huggy. Hell, I want to hug the boy right now just thinking of how cuddly he was when he was 5.
I am not a big hugger so I kiss everyone on the lips. I had no idea anyone would take exception to witnessing this. I follow what Delta Juliet said above – if my kids want a lip kiss – great. If they give me the top of their head – that’s where the lipstick goes. I never thought about it before.
But since I am thinking about it now, why not overthink it; with the exception of my family, my preferred method of salutation is a handshake but people get offended if you offer your hand (or the wrong idea if you are, say, in a bar.) I am happy with a cheek kiss but this is LA and for some reason they are all about lips here.
As for the sock designer thing, the Heiress has some huge aversion to socks. It is a battle every single day and there are possibly 2 pair of socks in existence in the world that she will wear. Yesterday I seriously considered becoming a sock designer if I could ever figure out what Miss Delicate-Toes’ problems with hosiery were so maybe Mr. Warren will have my answer.
I come from a family of mouth kissers so that’s fine, but socks are an abomination. If you could design socks that are not a fundamental violation of human rights (not to mention dignity), I would be forever grateful. “Socks cut off your freedom.” – Karl Pilkington
At last – I have finally found how I shall win my Nobel. I will get to work on it right away, Misha.
“I feel like anyone who has a problem with it might have some hidden issues of their own.”
That’s an unfair comment. I had a problem with it… when I was 10. I asked my mom to stop because it made me uncomfortable. What hidden issues are you suggesting I have? I’d like to know.
I kiss my 10 year old on the lips, face, head, hand. He hugs me and plays with my hair a lot. Who could think affection w/in the family is wrong? This must be another American machisma thing. My boy is masculine and an athlete. He also loves his mom and shows it and this is a great thing!
I’m not an American, but as I said above it bothered me at 10. My wife points out that there’s a school of thought that kids shouldn’t be forced to kiss or hug anyone they don’t want to. That may be the differentiating factor… whether the child thinks it’s being forced upon them. I was also forced to be cutely affectionate with my similarly aged cousin for photos, etc. So it probably made me uncomfortable being forced to be cute for adults’ entertainment.
I still kiss my 5 yrs old daughter on the lips my son is older so i kiss him on the cheek or forehead
You mean there are parents who DON’T kiss their babies on the lips??
Growing up I don’t remember much physical affection. I’m very close with my parents but we don’t hug or kiss to this day.
I don’t kiss my kids on my lips. We started off doing cheek kisses me because they kind of sucked at giving lip pecks. Too slobbery, lingering too long, etc.
while I don’t think it’s sexual I do think it’s gross. Now that they’re older and able to give better pecks we just keep on giving cheek kisses. I don’t let dogs lick my face or mouth or anything. When we had our dog he spent waaaaaaay too much time “cleaning” himself.
Also, isn’t she supposed to have herpes? I think the risk is probably low, but still.
26 years old here – my 60 year old mother still gives me kisses on the lips. Always have, always will. I’m still her only daughter and youngest. I don’t plan on taking that away from her.
True story….
My nephew just turned 5 years old this month. He is absolutely gorgeous from an afropean father (my brother who is 6’6″) and a dutch mother (5’2″).
Until last year when he was around 3 and a half and 4, his dutch mother used to kiss him quick on his lips. My afropean brother used to do it when he was an infant but have stopped it quick. He is more like, i am a man and he is doing man thing with his mini me, sometimes dresses the same. My nephew has been a perfect bilingual dutch/french since his two years and knows every single brand of cars. he is a boys boys.
Lionel, (his name) is a charismatic charmer and natural leader and until
next year had developped that habbit of kissing on the lips everyone of his fellow classmates, girls and boys alike.
I rememberred this because his mum used to get mad at him, telling him to stop giving peck on the lips to his classmates, that he will get into trouble.
That little rascall always laughed at it, telling his mum how much he loved her to get away with it.
A year later, though he has shifted this habbit to kissing on the cheek, using his charm, dancing skills (he dances all the time…the african blood is stronger in that regard), he has now a triple problem.
there are no less than three fathers who came to my brother’s home to tell him that their daughter (Lionel’s classmates) are completely crazy about him, dreaming about him, talking about him all the time and want to marry him…
Lionel freaked out, saying he can’t marry since he is only 5 years old (lol) . He doesn’t want to do anything with girls anymore (i m sure he will tell another story in less than 10 years though) chasing him to steal a hug.
All he wants now is to be with the boys and play soccer or with his cars….I keep on teasing him, telling him, see mum always right, she told you, you’ll get into troubles…..LOL
Wait…I thought her husband was a producer. when did he become a sock producer?
Seriously? This is a thing? I have enough baggage of my own and I refuse to take on anyone else’s. Kiss, don’t kiss- whatever you do is fine. Who am I to judge?
I was raised in a very affectionate family but I recall my Mother taught us not to kiss our children on the lips. Fuzzy on her reasons but I think it was that kissing on the lips should be only for your intimate partner. Accordingly, I raised my only child, a boy, with lots of hugs & kisses but never on the lips (he probably would have been appalled). It was not a stated rule, it was just what we did. Recently, he asked me about it because his wife kisses her father on the lips and he found it strange. Each to his on – my son is 34 yo and we always hug when together and never fail to say “I love you” before ending our phone conversations.