diff --git a/beacon-chain/sync/validate_beacon_blocks.go b/beacon-chain/sync/validate_beacon_blocks.go
index 7c3424493..98fbe2c29 100644
--- a/beacon-chain/sync/validate_beacon_blocks.go
+++ b/beacon-chain/sync/validate_beacon_blocks.go
@@ -166,11 +166,11 @@ func (s *Service) validateBeaconBlockPubSub(ctx context.Context, pid peer.ID, ms
 
 	err = s.validateBeaconBlock(ctx, blk, blockRoot)
 	if err != nil {
-		// If the parent is optimistic, be gracious and don't penalize the peer.
-		if errors.Is(ErrOptimisticParent, err) {
-			return pubsub.ValidationIgnore, err
+		// If the parent is optimistic, process the block as usual
+		// This also does not penalize a peer which sends optimistic blocks
+		if !errors.Is(ErrOptimisticParent, err) {
+			return pubsub.ValidationReject, err
 		}
-		return pubsub.ValidationReject, err
 	}
 
 	// Record attribute of valid block.
diff --git a/beacon-chain/sync/validate_beacon_blocks_test.go b/beacon-chain/sync/validate_beacon_blocks_test.go
index b9d638356..7478cd3b6 100644
--- a/beacon-chain/sync/validate_beacon_blocks_test.go
+++ b/beacon-chain/sync/validate_beacon_blocks_test.go
@@ -1305,3 +1305,77 @@ func Test_validateBellatrixBeaconBlockParentValidation(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	require.ErrorContains(t, "parent of the block is optimistic", r.validateBellatrixBeaconBlock(ctx, beaconState, blk.Block()))
 }
+
+func Test_validateBeaconBlockProcessingWhenParentIsOptimistic(t *testing.T) {
+	db := dbtest.SetupDB(t)
+	p := p2ptest.NewTestP2P(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	stateGen := stategen.New(db)
+
+	beaconState, privKeys := util.DeterministicGenesisStateBellatrix(t, 100)
+	parentBlock := util.NewBeaconBlockBellatrix()
+	signedParentBlock, err := wrapper.WrappedSignedBeaconBlock(parentBlock)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NoError(t, db.SaveBlock(ctx, signedParentBlock))
+	bRoot, err := parentBlock.Block.HashTreeRoot()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NoError(t, db.SaveState(ctx, beaconState, bRoot))
+	require.NoError(t, db.SaveStateSummary(ctx, &ethpb.StateSummary{Root: bRoot[:]}))
+	copied := beaconState.Copy()
+	require.NoError(t, copied.SetSlot(1))
+	proposerIdx, err := helpers.BeaconProposerIndex(ctx, copied)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	msg := util.NewBeaconBlockBellatrix()
+	msg.Block.ParentRoot = bRoot[:]
+	msg.Block.Slot = 1
+	msg.Block.ProposerIndex = proposerIdx
+	msg.Block.Body.ExecutionPayload.Timestamp = beaconState.GenesisTime() + params.BeaconConfig().SecondsPerSlot
+	msg.Block.Body.ExecutionPayload.GasUsed = 10
+	msg.Block.Body.ExecutionPayload.GasLimit = 11
+	msg.Block.Body.ExecutionPayload.BlockHash = bytesutil.PadTo([]byte("blockHash"), 32)
+	msg.Block.Body.ExecutionPayload.ParentHash = bytesutil.PadTo([]byte("parentHash"), 32)
+	msg.Block.Body.ExecutionPayload.Transactions = append(msg.Block.Body.ExecutionPayload.Transactions, []byte("transaction 1"))
+	msg.Block.Body.ExecutionPayload.Transactions = append(msg.Block.Body.ExecutionPayload.Transactions, []byte("transaction 2"))
+	msg.Signature, err = signing.ComputeDomainAndSign(beaconState, 0, msg.Block, params.BeaconConfig().DomainBeaconProposer, privKeys[proposerIdx])
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	chainService := &mock.ChainService{Genesis: time.Unix(int64(beaconState.GenesisTime()), 0),
+		Optimistic: true,
+		FinalizedCheckPoint: &ethpb.Checkpoint{
+			Epoch: 0,
+			Root:  make([]byte, 32),
+		}}
+	r := &Service{
+		cfg: &config{
+			beaconDB:      db,
+			p2p:           p,
+			initialSync:   &mockSync.Sync{IsSyncing: false},
+			chain:         chainService,
+			blockNotifier: chainService.BlockNotifier(),
+			stateGen:      stateGen,
+		},
+		seenBlockCache: lruwrpr.New(10),
+		badBlockCache:  lruwrpr.New(10),
+	}
+
+	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
+	_, err = p.Encoding().EncodeGossip(buf, msg)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	topic := p2p.GossipTypeMapping[reflect.TypeOf(msg)]
+	genesisValidatorsRoot := r.cfg.chain.GenesisValidatorsRoot()
+	BellatrixDigest, err := signing.ComputeForkDigest(params.BeaconConfig().BellatrixForkVersion, genesisValidatorsRoot[:])
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	topic = r.addDigestToTopic(topic, BellatrixDigest)
+	m := &pubsub.Message{
+		Message: &pubsubpb.Message{
+			Data:  buf.Bytes(),
+			Topic: &topic,
+		},
+	}
+
+	res, err := r.validateBeaconBlockPubSub(ctx, "", m)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	result := res == pubsub.ValidationAccept
+	assert.Equal(t, true, result)
+}