Kissing and affection

C. - posted on 02/16/2010

I don't see anything wrong with showing affection in front of your kids at all. I would expect someone to take it to another room if it became a touchy/feely kiss maybe, b/c that may be a little inappropriate for young kids that don't quite understand and a bit disturbing for teens to see. But other than that, kissing a spouse in front of your kids just shows them that you love each other and there's nothing wrong with that.

Amy - posted on 02/15/2010

i had three of my friends just tell me that we should never kiss in front of our children. i thought they were a little crazy, so wondered if it would bring a debate. nice to know that they are just the odd ducks out. :) i remember seeing my parents kiss and i thought it was sweet that they loved each other so much. obviously, making out etc is a no no, but really, just showing each other you love one another was always a good thing in my book. wonder why they thought it was a bad example??

Sara - posted on 02/15/2010

I think it sets a good example to be physically affectionate with your spouse in front of your child (appropriately, obviously...hugging and kissing), and to be affectionate with your child too. There are boundaries, just like with everyone else, but I never heard a person say they were loved too much as a child or that it was a bad thing to see their parents express their affection for one another, but I have heard people complain about the opposite.

Jennifer - posted on 02/15/2010

I think it's important to show affection to your husband/partner around your children. Hugging and kissing yes, but as Krista said not hard core snogging. Kissing and hugging is all part of marriage/relationships and it's nice for children to see that their parents love eachother.

Lindsay - posted on 02/12/2010

Not much of a debate but we've also never hid affection in front of the kids and don't plan on ever doing that! =)

Good Day! - posted on 02/12/2010

Kids gain security by knowing mom and dad love each other. I liked knowing that my parents truly loved each other. Husband and I kiss often in front of our daughter. She usually squeels and runs to hug us. She wantst to be a part. I think it's sweet.

Carolee - posted on 02/12/2010

If my children do not see affection between me and my husband, I think that would give them the misguided idea that spouses don't love each other. I don't want them to get "stuck" in a relationship that they're not happy in becuase they didn't see me show affection to my husband, and assumed that we weren't happy. It's not like we grope each other in front of anybody (no matter the age or relation to us), nor do we stick our tongues down each other's throats. That's crossing the line for me.

Rose - posted on 02/12/2010

i think it is a good thing kids should see your love you share!

Amy - posted on 02/12/2010

I think it's very healthy! I don't think that the dad or mom should "grab" the other around the children if they are at the age where they copy everything. I don't think it's right because the child might do that in public to another child/adult and not understand what there doing. Once the children are either really young or old enough to understand then I don't see any problem with it.

I have recently started to see my son copy everything we do, and I just don't want him to do something he shouldn't be to another child/adult, because he just doesn't understand it. He's 21 months, and already kissed several other girls

Amber - posted on 02/12/2010

I'm with the ruling majority here. Loving and affectionate relationships are the way to go! DH and I will never hide our love for each other and believe it is very important to show children what a loving relationship looks like.

Wanda - posted on 02/12/2010

My paternal grandparents were always so affectionate with each other. Always giving each other little kisses on the cheek, a quick hug, or a squeeze of the hand. It always stuck with me and I always said that I wanted a marriage like theirs. Unfortunately, they've both passed but it was like that up until the end. After 50 years together, it must have been a wondeful feeling to be that much in love.

Katie - posted on 02/12/2010

I think it's not only OK, I think it's healthy for children to see their parents kissing and showing affection. Obviously keep it G rated though.

Teresa - posted on 02/12/2010

Ditto everyone.

Shavaune - posted on 02/12/2010

Me and my husband kiss and hug all the time in front of our kids! We don't make out in front of them or anything. How else are they going to learn to have a loving relationship?

Jackie - posted on 02/12/2010

I agree...I think showing your kids nothing but a friendship doesn't teach them about a real relationship....and doesn't reinforce the love you share.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 02/12/2010

My parents kissed and hugged in front of us. Like some of you have said, it wasn't too gross. We always said "ewww!" but I think that's the typical kid reaction. It was almost reassuring to see them still in love especially when most of my friend's parents weren't still married.

Nikki - posted on 02/12/2010

I think it is absolutely okay. Just like Krista said as long as it's not hard core or anything. It shows that it's okay to show your feelings and things like that.

Sarah - posted on 02/12/2010

I completely agree with Krista.
It's nice for kids to see affection between their parents.
I can't see how it could be wrong really! :)

Krista - posted on 02/12/2010

I think that parents should absolutely show affection in front of their children. I'm not talking about hard-core macking on each other, but hugging and kissing? Absolutely. I think it a) shows the child what an affectionate, loving marriage looks like, and b) reassures the child that his parents love each other.