Parents Online Are Embracing Their Children's Bodily Autonomy And The Importance Of Teaching Them About Consent
"No one's feelings are ever going to be more important to me than my daughter's right to her own body."
As a society, we often normalize various behaviors and habits that perhaps should not be considered appropriate. Sometimes, part of our journey into adulthood involves 'unlearning' some of the things we were taught as children.
One such notion relates to the way adults show physical affection to children, and vice versa. While instructing our children to give their grandparents or other family members and friends hugs and kisses may seem harmless, it has become a very heated topic online.
Parents have been discussing their children's bodily autonomy and the importance of teaching them about consent. They argue that children should be rewarded for exercising control over what happens to their own bodies.
One mother, who goes by the name 'swedepea' on Imgur, feels strongly about teaching her daughter that it's okay for her to say 'no' without feeling guilty. She mentions that she often receives odd looks from people when her daughter politely refuses their hugs.
Another mother on Imgur, 'misharoux,' recounted an incident where a random lady tried to hug her daughter without her consent. The woman even went so far as to argue about it, stating that a hug would be harmless.
User 'ineeduhnap,' who works with small children, emphasized the importance of having conversations with kids about how their bodies belong only to them. The user states that even a hug between friends should be consensual.
Australian mother Brittany Baxter has been teaching her 2-year-old daughter all about adults and consent. She posted a video that ended up going viral.
In the video, Brittany discusses how kids should not feel obligated to kiss or hug adults if they don't want to. This sparked some heated debates on the topic and garnered more than 58,000 likes!
Brittany asserts that it's up to adults to be understanding when it comes to the choices children make about showing or accepting affection. She is adamant that adults need to ask permission to hug or kiss a child and, most importantly, be respectful of their response.
Some parents say that children should be rewarded for exercising control of what happens to their own bodies.
'Swedepea' says she would never make her daughter hug someone if she didn't want to.
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'Misharoux' says she has had a stranger try to force a hug on her daughter.
Childcare worker 'ineeduhnap' says that children should be taught to ask permission, even when hugging a friend.
Aussie Brittany Baxter's video on the subject went viral.
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She hates it when adults overstep her daughter's boundaries by using guilt.
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Here's how people reacted.
