Whenever I see my husband, Dave, I usually greet him with a hug and a kiss. To me, this seems quite normal, and I never thought anything about doing this in front of my children until our son, Cooper, had a playdate with a friend of his. The kids were playing in the kitchen just as Dave came home from work. When he walked in the kitchen, he pulled me close, hugged me, and kissed me. It was by no means a lingering, passionate embrace; but it was a warm and affectionate greeting where, yes, our lips locked. Cooper’s friend loudly gasped and said “Eew, gross!” and looked at Cooper as if he should have the same reaction. Coop just smiled and said, “What? They do that all the time.” I thought the nine year-old boy was having what he thought was the “proper” response to adults kissing, but he had a hard time shaking the look of pure disgust off of his face.
I think there are three BIG reasons to let your kiddos see you being affectionate with your spouse: