Tom, from England, never misses the opportunity to share his expression of love for his young son Roman. But when the duo’s public displays of affection circulated on social media, some people were not very happy.
Attacked for kissing his five-year-old son on the lips, the north England father refuses to stand down from the trolls accusing him of confusing his boy.
Applying some simple logic and a lot of humor, the father is fighting back and has the support of Roman, who decisively says to the menacing users, “you are all crazy!”
The bond shared between a parent and child is endearing and enduring, and one that nurtures the morals, principles, and personality of the little ones as they grow.
Each parent has a unique approach on how to raise their children, some techniques influenced by culture, socioeconomic factors, mental and physical health, or just preference.
Tom, from Yorkshire, England, is a doting and devoted father of two who refuses to allow his technique of parenting to be influenced by trolls and their negative comments.
Frequently posting videos on TikTok, the father gets a lot of attention from women, swooning over his icy blue eyes, accent, perfectly chiseled and tattooed body, or over his love for his sons, 5-year-old Roman, and Raphael Reign, who was born mid-May, 2023.
A lot of the videos Tom now shares on TikTok are him fielding accusations that he’s confusing Roman, also putting the little boy in danger of strangers or infection.
But Tom refuses to surrender.
On June 27, the northern England dad stood up to a user who said, “Just gorgeous both but don’t kiss him on the lips.”
@tom_leeds Replying to @teresa02garcia ah jheez. #fyp #foryou #xyzbca #xuhuong #fypシ ♬ original sound – Tom
In his response, Tom emphasized he would continue showering his five-year-old son with love, as long as he allowed. Tom says, “I find it worrying that it bothers you. I will kiss my son, my five-year-old child, on the lips for as long as I deem necessary and as long as he lets me, right, (because) I love him to bits and he’s my best pal and one day he won’t want me to, and he probably won’t want much to do with me. So, for now, I’ll carry on as I am.”
Fans poured in with supportive thoughts like, “Love kisses with my kids and now my granddaughter–the people who think it’s wrong are the worry xx.” Another, who lost her father, said: “absolutely ridiculous! I always kissed my dad on the lips and I lost him 2 years ago and I wish I could cuddle him and kiss him again.”
Tom replied to the thoughtful comments: “He is the most loving little boy and it’s because we raise him with love. Thank you for these comments.”
But then one user’s outrageous accusation elicited a quick response video from the dad. The person writes, “shouldnt kiss him BECAUSE of the bacteria in your mouth. did you know you can make your child more (susceptible) to cavities if you have them & kiss them.”
@tom_leeds Replying to @Haley Bear what are you brushing your teeth with please?! #fyp #foryou #xyzbca #xuhuong #foryoupage ♬ original sound – Tom
In a witty post that has almost 123,000 likes, Tom shares the message, “Wow. So I kiss my 5 year old son on the lips he will get cavities. He’ll get cavities from his daddy kissing him.” Tom then turns to Roman and asks what he thinks. “Don’t be silly!” the boy replies, giggling and sealing the statement with a kiss on his daddy’s lips.
Fans had a lot to say about the unsupported claim that Tom kissing Roman will cause cavities. “omg …who educated that person…you kiss away you two,” writes one, while another adds, “that is soooo ridiculous..and I work (with or as) a dentist. carry on being the loving dad you are… son is so cute”
In early July, Tom posted a now viral video that shows him with Roman on his lap, in the car. In the post that has almost 579,000 likes, Tom says, “Don’t worry. Absolutely nothing’s going to change.” He then turns to his son and asks, “Roman, what do you think of people that think you shouldn’t kiss me on (the) lips?”
“You are all crazy. That’s my daddy!” Roman says emphatically. The video ends with the pair sharing a sweet kiss.
Fans jumped in defending the cause of his post, and supporting the father, one writes, “Some people are just sick he is adorable and would soon tell ya when he gets older if he didn’t like it.” Another writes, “we kiss on the cheeks in my culture, but i really love that father-son relationship.”
One user chimed in and speaking to the Yorkshire father’s trolls, she asked “have you a problem with him kissing him on the lips because he is a man? Because if this was his mom, I’m sure you wouldn’t.”
Responding to that comment and thanking the woman for bringing the important message to light, Tom says: “I have genuinely been real interested to know this because it is something I have thought as well. I genuinely don’t think anything would have been said if it was a mom kissing a little boy…I dunno know but for some reason when it’s a bloke, a dad kissing his little boy something always gets said and I don’t know why because it’s always by this weird minority.” He continues, “I’m glad it’s a woman saying this as well, so I really appreciate that. …and I’m not changing anything.”
In another clip, the father is visibly frustrated in his response to a comment that suggests the sweet pecks will make the little boy vulnerable to malevolent strangers.
“Don’t kiss your children on the lips fact. Because not all humans have the right intentions do you see what I’m saying? Don’t make it acceptable!” the writer said.
Tom quipped in his response, “So the logic here is, if I kiss my five-year-old, he will think that he can go off and it’s okay to kiss strangers, strange adults… obviously!” Holding back his laughter, he continued, “So let’s apply that logic. I can’t have him in my car anymore to take him places because he could get in a stranger’s car and think that’s normal. He can’t live in my house anymore…well he could just walk into a stranger’s house and think that that’s normal.”
Then, the devoted dad proposed a different approach: “Or we could, now hear me out, we could… teach him that he’s got a mummy and a daddy and kissing them is normal but kissing dodgy Barry down the road is a bit weird.”
The majority of people in his cyber community support Tom and gush over the love he gives his son and we’re happy to see that Tom doesn’t stand down to online trolls who have no position in telling him how to parent!
What do you think of dads kissing children on the lips and do you feel it’s okay for a mom to do the same?