Kissing Your Kids On The Lips Isn't Weird, So Stop Being Weird About It

David Beckham’s photo kissing his daughter sparks criticism

David Beckham posted a lovely photo on Instagram yesterday of him kissing his 5-year-old daughter, Harper. Beckham captioned the photo, “Kiss for Daddy,” and the internet, as it is wont to do, thanked him for this lovely image of a father with his daughter by taking a steaming dump on it.

Photos of parents kissing their kids are hardly a rarity on the internet, but apparently, we should only be kissing our kindergartners on the cheek, or the top of the head, or not at all when a firm handshake would do. That’s the impression we’re getting from the reaction Beckham got after he posted this photo:

What a sweet picture, huh? Isn’t it nice to see such affection between a father and daughter? The answer is no, according to some Instagram users who have issues they need to work out privately. “On the lips??? What has the world come to???” said one. “Why do this? We don’t need to see it,” said another. Overall, the opinion of the naysayers is that it’s “weird” for a father to kiss his daughter on the lips. “I try not to judge,” said one liar, “but I can’t help but think it’s pretty weird that he kisses her on the lips considering her age.”

She’s five-years-old. Five. Are you concerned that he’s giving her the wrong idea, or something?

Beckham and his wife, designer and former Spice Girl Victoria, have never been shy about sharing photos of them being affectionate with their kids. Victoria was the center of the same kind of controversy a year ago when she posted a photo of her kissing Harper on the lips.

It seems that there are a lot of people out there who need a refresher on what differentiates a sexual kiss from a non-sexual kiss. Think of it this way: if you were trying to seduce your partner, would you pucker up, say, “Mommy loves you so much,” and give them a big loud “mwah” kiss? Maybe you would, and that’s your business. But suffice it to say that’s not the kind of thing that turns the general population on.

For all their talk about what’s “weird,” it seems weirder to suggest that this kind of kiss is inappropriate than to dismiss it as a harmless show of affection. Do you think this photo is evidence of sexual abuse? No? It just makes you uncomfortable? Well, then that’s your issue and you should feel free to keep your yap shut about it.

Kids need all the love they can get, and this is a child who is clearly adored by her parents. So save your sexual hang-ups for your therapist and go back to patting your kid on the back from a distance or whatever other safely non-sexual contact you feel is necessary with your children. We, however, are going to appreciate this show of love.