David Beckham kissed his daughter, 12, on the lips again. Is that wrong for parents?

The former professional athlete formerly said "I kiss all my kids on the lips" after facing backlash in the past.

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David Beckham is under fire once again, after sharing a video on social media of himself kissing his daughter on the lips. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
David Beckham is under fire once again, after sharing a video on social media of himself kissing his daughter on the lips. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Why is David Beckham facing controversy?

Ahead of his wife Victoria's third Paris Fashion Week show earlier this week, David Beckham, 48, filmed and posted a video of his 12-year-old daughter, Harper, doing his makeup for the event. The father-daughter duo bonded over Taylor Swift's "Style" as they prepped to attend the fashion show. At the end of the clip, Beckham puckered up and kissed his daughter on the lips.

"My little makeup artist is good and has a great playlist," he captioned his post on Instagram. "We are on our way, mummy."

It's not the first time the former professional soccer star has shown his affection for his daughter online — and, as usual, fans are divided.

Last year, he reignited the debate after posting a photo of himself kissing his daughter on a "lovely walk," to which some called it "inappropriate."

In 2018, he saw backlash for sharing a kiss with Harper — then age seven — during a winter outing. After English broadcaster Piers Morgan called the public display of affection "quite creepy" and "weird," the moment went viral with some condemning Beckham.

A year prior, Beckham also took to social media with a kiss he shared with his daughter during a trip to Tanzania, leaving many people in a meltdown and saying she's "a little too old for that."

Why are people talking about it?

People are divided on whether parents kissing their kids on the lips is a normal display of affection. A 2018 Yahoo Canada poll saw 56 per cent of respondents say there's nothing wrong with it. On the other hand, 23 per cent voted that it's fine, as long as the kids are little.

Beckham isn't the only celebrity who's faced criticism for kissing their kids on the lips.

Hilary Duff had to hit back at people online in 2018, after she shared a photo of herself kissing her then-three-year-old son Luca at Disneyland.

"For anyone commenting that a kiss on the lips with my four-year-old is 'inappropriate,' go ahead and click a quick unfollow with your warped minds and judgment," the former Disney Channel star had tweeted.

That same year, former football quarterback Tom Brady was scrutinized for an "uncomfortably" long kiss he shared with his son, Jack.

"Don't Worry Darling" director Olivia Wilde also faced a bout of mom-shaming after posting a photo in 2017 of herself kissing her then-three-year-old son Otis while he bathed.

In 2016, Victoria Beckham was hit with some backlash after taking to Instagram to post a photo of herself sharing a kiss with Harper in honour of her fifth birthday.

Could this be harmful for kids?

After receiving hate for kissing his kids on the lips in the past, David Beckham — who shares four kids in total with his wife — was forced to defend the way he shows his affection.

"I kiss all my kids on the lips. Brooklyn maybe not," the athlete explained during a Facebook Live in 2017.

"Brooklyn [was then] 18, so he might find that a little strange, but I'm very affectionate with the kids. It's how I was brought up — and Victoria — and it's how we are with our children."

While there might not be major health risks parents should worry about if they kiss their older kids on the lips, it might be something to question if the child's a baby.

Dr. Richard Marques, a well-known dentist in London, England, told The Independent in 2018 that parents should refrain from kissing their kids on the lips if they haven't yet grown their baby teeth.

"Saliva transfer from parent to child is a risk as this can spread bacteria (such as streptococcus mutans) from adult to child," Marques said. "This bacteria can cause decay of baby teeth. ... It can even affect the soft tissues and gums before the baby teeth have developed."

Perspectives

David and Victoria Beckham share four kids together, including Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
David and Victoria Beckham share four kids together, including Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

'An unfair overgeneralization'

"What comes to my mind is a culture that's becoming hyper-sensitive to issues surrounding sexuality," Toronto-based parenting expert Alyson Schafer told Yahoo Canada in 2018, adding that the idea is about consent.

"If you have an adult and a child who both enjoy a peck on the lips, that does not need to be a no-go zone because a culture associates kissing on the lips with something romantic."

A teaching moment

Vancouver-based psychiatrist Dr. Shimi Kang told Yahoo Canada these situations can be taken as an opportunity for parents to talk to their kids, as well as self reflect.

"If you're triggered by that photo, maybe ask yourself why," Kang said in 2018. "Is it a clash of values? Is it a boundary violation?

"This just shows how sensitive and polarized the issue of parenting can be. It pokes right at the deep, emotional centre and triggers all kinds of things from our own childhood, all kinds of insecurities."

'Too sexual' of an act

Los Angeles-based psychologist Dr. Charlotte Reznick said in 2015 that a parent kissing their child on the lips can be "stimulating."

"Even if that never occurs to a child, it's just too confusing! If mummy 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?" she said.

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