A viral meme about kids' consent is sending out an important message to parents. Moms and dads might think that are teaching their children politeness whenever they insist that the kids should give their grandparents or other relatives a hug or a kiss. But the gesture could have other implications.
According to the viral meme, which was shared on A Mighty Girl's Facebook page, forcing the child to kiss and hug a relative highlights the importance of giving consent. When parents prod the children to do this, they might just be sending the wrong message, especially if the kids are not comfortable reaching out to relatives this way.
"We teach them that their bodies do not really belong to them because they have to push aside their own feelings about what feels right to them," personal safety expert Irene van der Zande, via CNN. Physical affection, even in one simple and innocent gesture like hugging grandma, must always be the choice of the child.
Giving a hug or kiss shouldn't leave the kids feeling vulnerable to a potential abuse. The fact is that most sexual child abusers are someone that the child already knows, according to Parents Protect.
Parenting columnist Annalisa Barbieri agrees with the message in the viral meme. She cites in her column on The Guardian that the issue is not about being politically correct or encroaching on what's normal in the family.
It is about teaching children the concept of consent and giving children the right to voice out their discomfort. "You cannot expect a child to acquiesce when you want them to, and then magically grow up to 'know their own mind,'" the columnist wrote. "Knowing their own mind starts with allowing them to speak it."
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