Meanwhile, Bored Panda reached out tochildren’s safetyand education advocateJayneen Sanders, who was kind enough to shed some light on how parents can enforce healthy boundaries when it comes to visiting and having physical contact with their children. Sanders is also an elementary school teacher, mother of three, and the author of over100 stories for children. You’ll find her insights below.
Extended family and friends shouldn’t visit newborns until they’re 2 to 3 months old and have a stronger immune system
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Image credits:Kristina Paukshtite (not the actual photo)
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Clear boundaries are essential for healthy relationships
Let’s make a few things very clear right off the bat.Consentis incredibly important. Being mindful of other people’s boundaries is essential because it shows that you respect and care for them.
Unfortunately, far from everyone understands these things that seem common sense to many people. For some folks,boundariesare ‘optional.’ They see their wants and needs as more important than everyone else’s. This may not be the best attitude to have in life.
It’s not impossible for the family to move past this incident. However, it does mean that everyone will need to be more mindful of each others’ boundaries moving forward.
Furthermore, the mom should not feel like she has to accommodate other people’s wishes if they make her deeply uncomfortable or put her newborn at risk. This means that she will have to set very clear expectations and enforce consequences for people who ignore her boundaries from here on out.
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Grownups need to understand that the child’s safety is paramount
“Explain to the visitors that you are teaching your children body safety and consent education, which includes them having the right to decide how they greet people,” the children’s safety and education advocate said.
“Explain that, through teaching this education, your children have learned that everyone has a body boundary or personal space around their body, and people need to ask for hugs and kisses,” she told Bored Panda via email.
We asked Sanders whether there is a right way for someone to respond when a relative ignores the boundaries that they’ve set up and kisses the child without consent.
“If you do offend a relative, it’s important to remember your child’s voice and their safety are far more important than offending a disrespectful adult.”
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Adults need to be aware of hygiene procedures and not visit babies if they’re feeling unwell
This isn’t just about consent and boundaries, though. The issue lies in ignoring common sense and science, too.
Johns Hopkins University stressesthe fact that parents ought to limit the number of visitors who come into close contact with their newborn.
“Newborns have not had time to develop their immune system, so they are at higher risk for developing infections from both bacteria and viruses. They are also more susceptible to developing serious infections, such as sepsis and meningitis.”
Taking this into account, many doctors consider newborns younger than three months old with a fever, where their temperature is higher than 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C), to be an emergency.
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A few internet users were a bit skeptical about how the author reacted in the tense situation
The mom later clarified a few things and shared some additional important details
Some of the readers opened up about similar situations that they’ve been in. Here’s what they had to say
Thanks! Check out the results:Gabija Saveiskyte
Mindaugas Balčiauskas
Rugile Baltrunaite
Relationships
