Expert explains why parents should never high-five their children

It might be an outdated gesture of appreciation in the adult world - and would certainly attract a series of odd looks if enacted in a 9-5 office environment - but for kids, high-fives are one of the most common ways that adults display their approval.

Your toddler has taken their first steps? Throw up a hand! Your niece has managed to ride her bike without stabilisers for the first time? Give her five!

Whilst many mums and dads might use this tactic to congratulate their tots on their tiny achievements on an daily basis - especially during their earliest years - according to one parenting expert, you might want to think twice about proposing a high-five again...

That's right - parenting columnist and author John Rosemond believes that the move can actually have an adverse affect on a young person's self-esteem, and should instead be 'reserved for individuals of equal, or fairly equal, status'...

Apparently, parents should think twice about high-fiving their youngsters. (Maskot)

John - who has written several books about children and parenting - claimed that a high-five is a 'gesture of familiarity, to be exchanged between equals', meaning it's not acceptable for adults to high-five kids as it 'teaches them to have a lack of respect towards their elders'.

In a column for the Omaha World Herald, he 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.

"It is to be reserved for individuals of equal, or fairly equal, status. It is good for children to view responsible adults as people who exist in a higher plane."

He went on to say that if you are the type of parent who regularly high-fives their kids then you shouldn’t 'wonder why' your little one 'talks to you as if you are his equal'.

That is quite an interesting take, I have to say.

And it’s not just high-fives John took aim at, he went on to say that children should never be allowed to call adults by their first name; sleep in the same bed as their parents; or have 'free access to money'.

John refuses to high-five kids. (Image Source)

He went on: "Children should know their place. Adults should know their place.

"The more adults and children commingle as if they are equals, the more problematic become their relationships."

A screenshot of his article made its way onto Twitter where one user branded it the ‘weirdest thing’ they’d ever seen.

One person wrote: "Gonna high-five my kid excessively today. Mostly because it's fun, but also because I actually do respect them as an equal in personhood, even if they still have a lot to learn."

Someone else said: "My grandson's, almost two, have high-fived since they could physically coordinate it. It’s just a fun, non-verbal way that they can acknowledge a compliment, show agreement with something. I’m not getting how this is disrespectful or demeaning to an adult."

While a fourth joked: "My 1.5 year old high fives us and I think it’s adorable, but I guess John has enlightened me that I’ve actually broken her. Dang it!"