Former gymnast Shawn Johnson has ignited a lively online discussion after posting a video of herself sharing a kiss on the lips with her two-year-old son.
The 34-year-old Olympic gold medalist uploaded the Instagram clip earlier this week, capturing a sweet moment with her youngest child, Barrett “Bear” East — though viewers were divided over the exchange.
In the video, the toddler is seen sitting on his mother’s lap during a day out on a boat before suddenly taking her face in his hands and planting a big kiss on her lips.
The smooch continued for several seconds before Bear eventually pulled away.
“Wow, what was that dude?” Johnson’s husband, former NFL player Andrew East, said while filming, as the athlete turned toward the camera beaming.
Moments later, the little boy leaned forward again and gave his mom two more kisses.
“Oh my gosh, Bear you lover boy,” East joked.
“What a smooch! Hahahaha this guy came outta nowhere,” Johnson wrote in the caption accompanying the post.
Former gymnast Shawn Johnson has sparked a fierce debate online after she shared a clip of herself kissing her two-year-old son on the lips
The Olympic gold medalist, 34, posted a video on Instagram earlier this week that showed her enjoying a loving mother-son moment with her youngest child, Barrett ‘Bear’ East – but not everyone was a fan of their interaction
While Johnson, who donned a red bikini, seemed super excited by her son’s kisses, some people on the internet were not as impressed.
The video caused quite the stir online, as many viewers began to debate whether or not it is appropriate for a toddler to kiss their parents on the lips.
Some, claimed it was not OK.
‘[It’s] inappropriate for that KIND of kiss between parent and child. Absolutely ick,’ one user slammed.
‘Kisses on the mouth represent romantic attraction,’ claimed another.
‘It’s inappropriate for parents to kiss their kids on their lips at any age,’ insisted someone else.
‘Lips on lips is germy and weird… kids have germy lips and so does mom… everyone knows what moms and fathers do with their lips… it does not belong on a child’s lips,’ read a fourth comment.
‘It’s not about just kissing their parents. He’s kissing the way he sees grown ups kiss so he thinks that’s what he’s supposed to do, she should be telling him, “Only mommy and daddy kiss like that,”‘ said a fifth.
The clip featured her toddler sitting on her lap as they enjoyed a boat day, when suddenly he grabbed her face and gave her a huge smooch on the lips
‘Wow, what was that dude?’ Johnson’s husband, former NFL player Andrew East, who was recording, said as the athlete turned to the camera with a huge smile on her face
The couple, who wed in 2016, also share daughter Drew East, six, and son Jett East, four, together
‘Little pecks are fine but this is weird,’ a different user chimed in.
Others, however, came to Johnson’s defense.
‘People are weird, he’s a toddler. Our two-and-a-half-year-old son does the same with both my wife and I. Our eight-year-old only wants forehead kisses. It’s not inappropriate,’ one person penned.
‘I used to think this was kind of odd. Now I have a two-year-old son and it is literally my favorite thing in the world. I feel so loved by him!’ another mom wrote.
‘All I’ve learned from the comments is that so many people are mentally unwell or traumatized and think a toddler smooching is weird,’ someone else said.
‘I encourage you to show this video to your therapist so you can work through whatever trigger this brings up. This is absolutely normal. He’s a toddler, as he gets older, boundaries will form. He’s not 15 here.’
‘There is nothing wrong with kissing your kids on the lips, it’s not inappropriate at all,’ a different fan commented.
The couple, who wed in 2016, also share daughter Drew East, six, and son Jett East, four, together.
Many other stars have faced scrutiny for kissing their kids on the lips before, including David Beckham, Hilary Duff and Tom Brady.
Beckham has posted many snaps of himself kissing his daughter Harper, now 14, on the lips over the years, including in 2018, 2019 and 2023.
The sports star hit back at his critics in 2018, and he insisted he kisses all of his children on the lips – aside from his eldest son, Brooklyn Beckham.
David Beckham has posted many snaps of himself kissing his daughter Harper, now 14, on the lips over the years, including in 2018 (seen), 2019 and 2023
In a documentary called Tom Vs. Time that aired in 2018, Tom Brady shared a smooch with his then-10-year-old son Jack
In 2016, Hilary Duff was slammed after she posted a snap kissing her then-three-year-old son Luca on Instagram
‘I kiss all my kids on the lips. Brooklyn maybe not… Brooklyn [was then] 18, so he might find that a little strange, but I’m very affectionate with the kids,’ he said.
‘It’s how I was brought up – and Victoria [Beckham] – and it’s how we are with our children.
‘We want to show our kids love and we protect them, look after them and support them.’
In a documentary called Tom Vs. Time that aired in 2018, Brady shared a smooch with his then-10-year-old son Jack.
And in 2016, Duff was slammed after she posted a snap kissing her then-three-year-old son Luca on Instagram.
She later addressed the situation during an interview with InStyle, explaining, ‘First of all, he was three. Kiss your kids, and anyone who doesn’t like it can hit unfollow. Not interested in what you have to say.
‘People just have all these crazy judgments, and I think it’s best to not listen and laugh it off.’
