To high-five or not to high-five?
That is the question after a 74-year-old parenting columnist wrote in the Omaha World-Herald that adults shouldn’t high-five children because a child is not an adult’s equal, reports TODAY Parents.
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As you can imagine, his thoughts went viral with experts in the field disagreeing with John Rosemond, who wrote: “I will not slap the upraised palm of a person who is not my peer, and a peer is someone over age 21, emancipated, employed and paying their own way.”
Rosemond also argued that a high-five “is not compatible with respect.”
“Do not wonder why, if you high-five your child, he often talks to you as if you are his equal.”
But Alaskan mom and psychiatrist Dr. Lisa Lindquist told TODAY Parents that a high-five is a form of praise.
“So please, utilize the occasional congratulatory high-five as you tell your first grader they worked hard to solve the math problems in their workbook this evening,” she said.
Rosemond, a former family psychologist who has previously said ADHD isn’t real and believes there should be a return to authoritative parenting, told TODAY Parents he stands by his anti-high-five stance, which went viral.
“An adult wants to congratulate a child on exemplary performance? How about, ‘Nice job, kid,’ accompanied by a pat on the back, a gentle squeeze of the shoulder, and the like?” he said in response.
