Consent is important, but it’s often a subject people get touchy about, especially regardingchildren. In families, relatives love doting on young kids and giving them hugs, cuddles, and pecks on the cheek. But if they’re told not to do these loving gestures, people tend to get angry.
This is something a woman struggled with while trying to teach her toddler aboutconsent. Even when her daughter said no, the child’s granny kept trying to be affectionate. The woman wondered if she was wrong for not liking that behavior.
More info:Netmums
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Everyone knows how important it is to respect people’s boundaries, but when it comes to kids, folks often tend to downplay the situation
Image credits:Polesie Toys / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits:Juan Pablo Serrano / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Even when the child said no to hugs and kisses, the grandma would do it anyway and say, “don’t be silly, of course, you can hug your nanny”
Image credits:Laura H(8)
The poster didn’t like that her mom was being so persistent with cuddles and kisses even when the child didn’t want it, but she wondered if she was ridiculous to think that way
The woman explained that she had been trying to teach her toddler that her body was hers and that she could say no to things that made her feel uncomfortable. As adults, we know we have the right toset boundarieswhen it comes to physical touch. Children also have these rights and can reject physical contact if they don’t want it.
Understandably, the grandmom wanted to show her granddaughterloveand affection in the only way she knew how. It might also have just been her way of showing how much she cares about the child. But in many families, kids often feel obligated to hug or kiss their relatives, because if they say no, the adult may feel offended.
It’s impossible to gauge which person hasill intentionstoward the child. That’s why kids should be allowed to say no to anyone if they feel uncomfortable. Even though it’s an important issue, whenever the woman tried speaking to her mom about it, she’d say the poster was being ridiculous.
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The woman also said that she was in two minds about the situation. On one hand, she wanted her daughter to feel she had control over herbody, and on the other hand, she wasn’t sure if she was overreacting to her mom’s behavior. The problem is that netizens were also divided on the topic.
Expertson child well-being and care state that it’s very important for children to be taught about consent and for parents to ensure their boundaries are respected. Kids should be educated about it as early as possible and at an age-appropriate level so that their understanding develops as they mature.
This might seem like a very new concept because most people in previousgenerationswere not taught about consent or bodily autonomy. But it’s essential to understand why the topic is so important. Such knowledge could help a young child escape from or speak up about an unsafe situation, and that’s truly wonderful.
What’s your verdict on this situation? Do you think the mom was being ridiculous and getting worked up over nothing?
Some people felt that family members should be taught to respect a child’s boundaries and that the mom wasn’t being ridiculous
Image credits:Daka / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Other folks said that such boundaries should only be imposed on extended family members, not on close relatives
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