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Reply to "Parents Kissing Kids on the Lips"

This raises a great question about the sufficiency of the ACE screenings. For some children, being kissed on the lips by a parent could very well be perceived as a violation of their physical and sexual boundaries. I'm thinking especially of mothers who commit emotional incest with their sons; it's such a hidden form of abuse because it usually does not include sexual touching; but kissing a son on the lips in the context of emotional incest draws close to that line.

What is important when considering a adverse childhood experiences is the child's experience. Many military families move several times throughout a child's life causing great social difficulty, impaired healthy attachments, loss or absence of community ( a source of resilience for many)-and yet this not part of any screenings I've seen. Moving many times, without warning because of poverty, unsafe housing or parental insufficiencies could equally be traumatizing to a child.

I say, ask the child. The child will be the one to tell you if something feels like a traumatic event to them and that is truly what matters.

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