Nikki Garcia is addressing an Instagram photo where she kisses her 5-year-old son, Matteo, on the lips.
“There were quite a few reasons why I turned my comments off on that post, and it just goes to show why I don’t put my son on social media,” Garcia, 42, shared on the Thursday, January 16, episode of SiriusXM’s The Nikki & Brie Show. “It wasn’t even that many comments, but it was enough to bug me where like, ‘I can’t believe she kisses her son on the lips, he’s 5,’ and I’m like, ‘Dude, I can’t believe you’re so bothered by it and annoyed.’ That’s crazy to me.”
Earlier this year, Garcia traveled to Legoland California with her son to experience the theme park’s holiday attractions.
When sharing memories from the trip, Garcia included an innocent photo of herself kissing Matteo on the lips in front of the entrance.
“Matteo’s most favorite place ever!” she wrote via Instagram on January 6. “He never wants to leave omgosh. He’s always so happy there. … He’s such a little master builder. This kid constantly impresses me. 🧡🧱🥲.”
In response to the critics who questioned her affectionate photo with Matteo, Garcia couldn’t believe she had to provide an explanation.
“In that photo that’s on the cover photo, that was his first time seeing Lego Santa, just the Lego version,” she explained. “He got so excited, so the lady was just taking photos. Matteo grabbed me and gave me that big kiss. It was the cutest thing because you could tell he was so excited and grateful he was actually going into Legoland and he saw Lego Santa, so it was such a great moment.”
Nikki Garcia Courtesy of Nikki Garcia/Instagram
The negative comments are one of the reasons why Garcia chooses to keep her son — who she shares with ex-husband Artem Chigvintsev — away from social media.
“It’s weird when people put opinions on your kids, and then you’re like, ‘See, this is why I don’t post him because I love my kid to death and do you think I want to read this stuff about him?’” she explained. “But the kissing thing was so annoying to me and just bothersome because I’m like, first of all, I love my son so much, and I feel bad if your kid wants to kiss you on the lips and you tell him no. I think that’s sad because I don’t know what that would do to them mentally.”
Nikki had the support of her sister, Brie Garcia, who said she still kisses her cousins, aunt and parents on the lips.
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“We’re all raised differently,” Brie, 42, said. “Maybe [because] we’re Mexican Italian and we got a couple of other things in there. … I think it’s weird to follow people and be hating.”
During the episode, Nikki had one final request to her followers who feel the need to comment on her parenting decisions.
“Stop telling me to get my son a haircut,” she proclaimed. “He loves his long hair. His long hair is beautiful.”
