One of the most socially powerful people in Great Britain attended Thursday night’s World Cup match between Team England (The Lionesses) and Team Norway. That powerful person attended with her father, because she is only seven years old. Yes, Harper Beckham had a very special father-daughter date in France. Harper and David Beckham attended the World Cup game without any of her brothers and without Victoria either.
Why do I find this so moving and inspirational? I think it’s because little Harper is wearing a Team England jersey and she’s obviously into the game, and David is engaging with both Harper and the game on the field. David is listening to Harper, explaining things to her about the sport he played for decades, and he’s also showing her that he thinks HER interests are cool, valid and worthy of attention, and that it’s awesome when a father and daughter share interests. Plus, Harper got to eat a big bag of peanut M&Ms with her dad. Mummy would never let that happen.
David and Harper were both super-excited during the match. England won the quarterfinal, defeating Norway 3-0. Team England will play either Team France or Team USA in the semifinal, and the French and American match is later today (3 pm EST).
Some cool stuff from social media – The Sun was trying to make it into a “controversy” that David kissed Harper on the lips. He kisses all of his kids on the lips? David is super-affectionate with all his children.
David Beckham kisses daughter Harper on the lips again https://t.co/6SKd0e4m8k
— The Sun (@TheSun) June 27, 2019
This kids face seeing David Beckham is me seeing DB pic.twitter.com/bFpWgpUTGx
— Maggie Clougherty (@magz_clough) June 27, 2019
Harper wanted a high-five too!
David Beckham leaving his daughter hanging during the celebrations lmao #ENGNOR #FIFAWWC19 pic.twitter.com/sJfM8m0FEb
— Shrina Patel (@shrina4) June 27, 2019
Harper & David got to meet the team!
David Beckham before the England game tonight pic.twitter.com/wqsnAeg7YM
— Behind The Dugout (@DugoutBehind) June 27, 2019
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Ha ha he’s dipping into those M&Ms too while mommy’s not around. Love it
My first thought too lol.
Maybe Harper’s thinking that mommy would let her have them and wouldn’t steal any.
The war divorce will start in 3 2 1 …
this is very adorable. and the kissing thing feels like ours been a “controversy” with all four of their kids. I admit that it squicks me out, but that’s because my family doesn’t kiss on the mouth.
Yeah, we’re not even big on hugs in my family haha. I does make me pause for a second because it’s just not what I’m used to, and I don’t know of any of my friends – even the touchy feely ones – doing this. But at the same time – it is sweet to see people being affectionate with loved ones.
Showing affection to your kids isn’t disgusting. I’m more put off by the people who see something filthy in a father kissing his (small!) daughter.
It’s a cultural thing. Where I’m from, parents do not kiss their children on the mouth so this image is strange to me.
But would you make a derogatory insinuation from seeing a father kiss his daughter that way? For me that’s the problem. Sure people don’t like it for them but it doesn’t mean it’s wrong or weird for him. I have an 8 year old boy and dread the day he’s too embarrassed for a peck from his mum on the lips.
If I’m being honest, I don’t like seeing a father/mother kissing their children on the mouth. It’s something that feels alien to me. But I would never disparage them because if I find it strange and alien to my culture then I have to assume and accept that this is acceptable behaviour in theirs. Also, it is none of my business.
I agree, I think it’s adorable and we’re a kissing and affectionate family. I saw my best friend kiss her mom on the lips when we were teenagers and I thought it was the sweetest thing, I decided right there that’s how I wanted to be with my children!
When I started dating my husband 11 years ago I was so weirded out that he kissed his mom and sisters on the lips, but I came from a very unaffectionate soviet family. Now we have a 3 yr old boy and 1 yr old girl, and they request pecks on the mouth, and it’s the sweetest thing. My my how I’ve changed into a bowl of mush.
I come from a super affectionate family and we always kissed on the lips. I do the same with my friends. It’s strange to me when people don’t show that kind of love with one another. To each their own!
Eta, I understand that other cultures have different values, don’t mean to offend anyone.
BengalCat, It might be cultural but it’s also personal, too. For example when I see a group of friends I’ve known for years, greeting/saying goodbye to each one is different. One kisses on the lips, most hug, some kiss on the cheeks and a couple barely want to touch but prefer to sort of just say hello or goodbye. I guess it depends on what you did growing up, maybe.
@Esmom, that’s a good point. As long as the love is there, it doesn’t matter how it’s expressed.
Super sweet, Harper is a lucky girl!
I never noticed before how she is his Mini Me. Of all the kids, she looks so much like him.
Bets on Harper being the one to follow in her dad’s footsteps and becoming a soccer superstar 😉 She’s a super cute kid who obviously adores her dad.
Sadly being a professional athlete is a lot of work, and so far so the kids exhibit the want of public careers but don’t want to put any work in. They “photograph”, and “model”, and “sing” but don’t show any of their parents fight.
If she’s not on, what we Americans call, travel teams, traversing the United States playing, she will not. It’s very hard work.
@Iknow – if they are still living in the UK (idek where they live), I think she’d be fine. Girls’ football is getting a lot of grassroots funding and growing exponentially.
To comment on the post: good for Beckham for being there. He rocked up and met the team (along with Ian Wright), and him being there draws eyes to the women’s team (which seems to be gathering more interest with every game played). It’s brilliant.
That kiss is so obviously a sweet, normal, appropriate display of affection between father and daughter. He must be doing something right, to me she appears totally at ease and happy with her dad.
I wasn’t raised kissing on the lips but I’m not trying to emulate the coldness I was raised with. Not saying families who don’t kiss on the lips are all cold, but mine sure was. I embrace all the forms of affection I missed out on and I shower my little ones with kisses.
I showered my little ones with kisses, too. That’s the beauty of having a family, you can start new traditions/”protocols” or you can carry on old ones if you want. I remember feeling happy about having so many possibilities. It was such a contrast to feeling “stuck” with the way my parents did/do things.
Harper and David’s relationship does seem so sweet, I love it.
This isnt the first time tabs have gone after Beckham for being affectionate with his kids. The pics when he was with Romeo and I think Cruz at a basketball game and he was kissing one of his children. Why is this a issue? What am missing?
I agree, this is a way that this family expresses affection for each other, it’s fine. Whatever the state of the Beckham’s marriage they seem very involved in their kids’ lives and attentive to and close with their kids. I will never forget the Vogue interview where the reporter showed up to their house and the petite nanny with a messy ponytail opened the door while holding Harper…but then the nanny apologized that the nanny couldn’t show up that day so Harper would have to sit with them for the interview…and then the reporter realized it was Victoria Beckham, not some nanny. I always appreciate that image of her — that at home she is not some glamazon, she is a no-makeup-wearing, child-rearing, ponytail-having multi-tasking and often-stressed working mom.
Aaaaaww, too cute!
Let’s go England!!!! So proud of the Lionesses
He and Victoria seem like hands on parents who clearly love their children. I hope Harper stays clear of social media as she gets older.It would be easy for her to become an ‘influencer’ given how gorgeous she is and who her parents are. Love that she and Dad are sneaking peanut M&Ms. Those are the best M&Ms.
Glad she grew out that horrible Anna Wintour haircut she had awhile back. That’s all I got.
This is adorable! I didn’t have that kind of relationship with my dad who’s now passed and I’m green with envy when I see relationships like this! My dad wasn’t the most affectionate man even with my brothers. I hope David maintains this closeness with his daughter once she hits puberty, I’ve read dads tend to back off once their little girls aren’t so “little” anymore but I honestly think that’s the time you need dad in your life. Anyways I smiled looking at them celebrating together, engaged.
I haven’t commented in ages, just wanted to chime in on the kissing. My beautiful little daughter is just a little older than two years and she _insists_ on kissing me on the lips. 🤣
Granted, I’m an affectionate person anyway and used to shower her with kisses and snuggles from the moment I first had the honour to hold her. But to me, it’s just the most natural thing to kiss your children and tell them how much you love them as often as possible.
Gosh, he’s handsome. I love that he is showing some love to the women’s game. I would think it means a lot, in terms of PR, for him to be so enthusiastically supporting the women’s team. Is the boy in the team pic one of theirs? probably not? My only wish would have been that he brought some of their boys too- because boys can watch women’s sports too! But that’s a minor nitpick. I’m mostly just swooning over DB.
Oh, and I kiss my 4yo son on the lips and never thought twice about it. Maybe there’s an age where it becomes more awkward- I imagine during puberty/adolescence a lot of kids don’t want to kiss their parents on the lips. I don’t remember ever kissing my parents on the lips, but I don’t think it’s weird.
David is such a good and affectionate Dad with all his kids and especially seems to enjoy having a girl. Harper is sweet looking, but I must admit (and know MANY will scream at me), very average cute, not OMG she’s gorgeous. At one point her face was on the chubby side as happens to many kids that age before they thin out and I wondered if Victoria was freaking out about that. Victoria seems like she’d be a tiger Mom when it comes to Harper’s looks and weight and would stress about her daughter. Not saying she is not cute, but like many, many kids, she’s average cute to me and with a Mom like Victoria, I wonder how that will play out. Then again I may be in the minority but I find all their kids average in looks, just average looking kids and that is OK people, don’t scream about it haha
I kiss my son on the lips and I’ll do it as long as he’ll let me. (he’s only 1 at the moment).
Haven’t seen enough pics of Harper to know whether she is cute but at least from the pics she looks normally dressed with no makeup. I can’t tell you how vile it is that all these ordinary mom I know post glamour shots of their 10 year old daughters on Facebook.. make me want to puke ( but I keep it to myself of course)
David and Victoria mentioned several times that Harper plays football at school and that she is much more into football than her brothers. So, I find this super cute. You go, Harper.