Kissing parents/family members (not children or partner): lips or cheek?

[White Lotus]

My family do not kiss outside a romantic context, sometimes a parental one.  The Prof's family air or cheek kiss everybody, family and close friends. (They have backed away warily from my parents who must have "don't try it" signs on them somewhere I can't see. Pretty funny.  They get along fine once the greetings are over.)  I think it is cultural. My sibs and I try to adapt to context, but I do hate American style, pull me off balance, hugging, and we, as family, don't. The Sprouts hug their dad, sometimes, without yanking, but not me, though the boys will sometimes plant a kiss on the top of my head.

[portiafimbriata]

I kiss my immediate family on the cheek and always have. I've observed other families that kiss on the lips and I think it's very sweet - it's just not what we're accustomed to doing personally.

The first time my ex-husband saw me greet one of my brothers with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, he said it was "sickening" to him, as if he were watching his mom and his brother in a full make-out session. If he ever actually witnessed such a thing, that's his problem and I hope he worked it out in therapy. I personally see nothing wrong with kissing a much-loved sibling, parent or other family member on the cheek. Or on the lips, if that's what your family does.

[Ciarrai]

My husband's family does the kiss on each cheek thing, as part of their culture. Thus, I kiss them on the cheek. With my own family, I only kiss my parents and grandmother on the cheek, and only my husband gets a lip kiss.

I dislike the idea of kissing anyone other than a romantic partner on the lips due to a superstition that my Welsh grandmother told me about when I was a little kid. She said that kissing people on the lips shared a piece of your soul with them, and thus you should only kiss a romantic partner in that way.

[Army Mom]

Many of you would be very uncomfortable with my family based on the posts here. We hug and kiss and pat and snuggle everyone! We kiss on the lips usually, even extended family. And not just on arriving and leaving, we are just a very demonstrative bunch

[MariaE]

Many of you would be very uncomfortable with my family based on the posts here. We hug and kiss and pat and snuggle everyone! We kiss on the lips usually, even extended family. And not just on arriving and leaving, we are just a very demonstrative bunch

You're right, I would. But that's okay - I'm not entitled to feel comfortable with your family anyway
We're a very demonstrative bunch too, but stick to hugging and cheek-kissing. I think I can count on one hand the number of people I've kissed on the lips, and now that I'm married it's likely to stay that way

[jeni]

I'm from a hugging, kissing kind of family too, whenever we meet and whenever we say goodbye. Every time. It can get a little tiresome sometimes, when there's a few of us gathering 

I voted 'always on the cheek' but my Mum always tries to kiss on the lips and I just kiss on the cheek as I don't like that.  I hope that's not rude.  Also my partner's father always kisses on the lips and I try to avoid that, but I'm not always successful 

[veryfluffy]

I have to admit I have never heard of kissing greetings on the lips, even with family. I've never seen anyone do that.

Hugs and cheek kisses for family and close friends -- but only if I haven't seen them in some time. Air kisses for less close friends. The only people who get lip kisses are DH, and very close friends of the opposite sex that I haven't seen in a while.

[ACBNYC]

I kiss my daughter and husband on the lips. I expect that the lip pecking will stop with my daughter when she's older, but I think it's sweet now. The rest of my family gets hugs, we've always been like that. And since my transplantation to NYC, I've become accustomed to the constant cheek-kissing and air-kissing from friends and acquaintances. It really creeped me out at first, though!

[Baby Snakes]

We are a pretty affectionate bunch but the only one I kiss on the lips is my DH.  Everyone else, including my parents and grown children, get a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

[Just Lori]

I willingly kiss my husband on the lips.  I kissed my children on the lips when they were little, but nowadays I'm lucky to get a headbutt before they leave the house. 

I prefer hugs to lip kisses from anyone else.  Unless, of course, one of my TV boyfriends wants to give me a good smooch.

[LTrew]

I kiss my parents on the lips occasionally, definitely did when I was younger but I think it has moved more to cheek kisses the older I got.  I think I'm the only kid still willing to kiss my dad or have a snuggle, but whatever.  I live very far away from my parents so when I get the chance I will definitely cuddle up to them on the couch.

I try not to kiss my babies on the lips, but only because they are super slobbery and the baby for sure doesn't understand closing your mouth for a kiss.  I've had to have several conversations with my older son about what kinds of kisses are appropriate because he likes to kiss uh... with a lot of energy.  He's only four, so I treasure the "kiss and a huggle" he requests before bedtime because I know it won't be long before he doesn't want them anymore. 

[suzieQ]

I only kiss my husband on the lips. To me, it's a sexual thing too. My cousin always kissed her parents on the lips growing up, and I tried it with my parents once, but it just felt weird. Our family mostly hugs. Lots of "I love you" but no kissing.

[2littlemonkeys]

I only kiss my husband on the lips too.  To me, it just seems too intimate to do it to anyone else in my family.   I never kissed my kids on the mouth because I didn't want to give them my germs and now that they're older, I give them the same directions.  We do forehead or cheek kisses.

[Lynnv]

I really don't kiss my mom or sister.  And certainly not the in-laws.  So that just leaves DH.

I really am not a hugger either.  Most of the ladies in my motorcycle club are, so I have worked on getting used to it (to a degree).  But I am still pretty okay with a hearty handshake.   

[Jones]

I have a couple of friends I've kissed on the cheek, but with family it's only hugs, and only rarely. My sister recently came home from a long stay in another country (18-20 months), and she was shaking hands with family at first.  She got back into hugging pretty quickly.