According to child psychologist Charlotte Reznick who started an internet firestorm a few weeks ago, it’s apparently no longer appropriate to kiss one’s child on the lips because the lips are an erogenous zone and might cause sexual confusion.
I can’t believe that all these years I’ve been causing so much harm to my children and have begun rethinking my entire parenting game. Now that I am no longer allowed to show my children unconditional love and affection by kissing them on the lips, I guess I should probably stop doing these things as well:
Showering with them
I can’t believe I’ve made such a vile mistake of cleansing my naked body while simultaneously do the same for my child. But for us, showering with our children has been a way of life since Honeybun could sit unassisted and a matter of survival as our family has grown. With an exhausted stay-at-home-mom of four and overworked dad, throwing our kids in the shower is the quickest, easiest way to get our kids clean. Plus, with a pool in their backyard they’re not missing out on any crucial water experiences.
Changing my toddler’s diaper
If my child’s lips are a no-no erogenous zone I can’t even imagine the irreparable damage I’ve caused by wiping their genitals when changing their soiled diapers all these years. And oh to think of the horror of all the times I violated other young children while working in childcare and thoroughly cleaning their private areas as well!
Breastfeeding uncovered
I have a newborn and regularly feed the baby in the presence of my child, with my fully exposed breast! I can’t imagine the mixed signals this is sending to my children about what breasts are really for and I can’t bear to imagine how the sight of their sibling nursing at my breast will affect their future sex lives. And to think, I did it to all of them: forcefully shoved my sexual breast in their mouth in order to satiate their hunger and provide them with optimum nutrition to grow (to their future spouses who will have to bear the consequences of this heinous act, I’m really sorry!)
Letting them witness the births of their siblings
Then there’s the times I let them watch their baby brothers be born. I don’t know what I was thinking in allowing them to be a part of the miracle of life and growth of our family. Vaginas are clearly for sexual pleasure only and I never should have talked to them extensively about the “birth canal” in order to prepare them. Next time I’ll be sure that the first glimpse they get of their new sibling is a picture of me strapped to an OR table, drugged out and cheek to cheek with the new baby, all vaginas fully covered, of course!
Playfully smacking their butts
This one stems from my own childhood trauma of playful family butt pinching which has clearly scared me for life and blurred the lines of what is appropriate for playful family interaction.
Change in front of them
We probably should have stopped this one years ago as we can already see the damage it’s done now that our two-year-old covers his mouth, points and laughs anytime he sees us naked. He is clearly being “aroused” by my naked form the same way my husband can be and that is completely inappropriate!
