Why I Don't Force or Push My Kids to Give Physical Affection to ANYONE

I won't EVER force my kids to give physical affection to ANYONE. 

*I also won't force my kids to adhere to unreasonable or silly or pointless social customs.*

If that offends someone, so be it.

When a stranger speaks to my children (hell even family) I don't force them to respond. This is not "disrespectful". If an adult gets upset by the lack of "polite" response, that's on them. I am not teaching my kids to engage simply bc an adult can't handle their feelings.

I never thought too much about this until I had a super shy kid of my own. Now I realize that the fear & distress is quite real, and how cruel it is to force them to be in uncomfortable situations. I'm quite protective of my shy little girl, and I don't care who is offended by that.

Forcing kids to be close, physically or emotionally to someone to follow society's made up rules & protect adults from having to process rejection... Only sets kids up to be vulnerable. They should be able to reject anyone that makes them uncomfortable. Be it Grandma or the damn Pope.

EVERYBODY should respect people's personal space & rights to their own body, regardless of their age. Unless someone is physically attacking you or harming themselves, you don't have a right to force physical touch.

Bodily Autonomy & Autonomy in general is extremely important in my household. Unless the situation calls for it, even we, their parents, do not touch them without CONSENT. We do things this way not only to respect our kids, but to *protect* them and foster an open, honest relationship.

If something were to ever happen, we want our kids to be fully aware that THEY own their bodies, they hold the exclusive right to say no at any given time for ANY reason, and we want them to be comfortable coming to us and know that we will stand up for them.

No one's feelings, sensibilities, or beliefs are more important than that.

Does this mean our kids are disrespectful brats who "run the show"? Will this lead them to be entitled shits or criminals? No.

But it may protect them from being molested, raped, or abused.

I think that's worth hurting Grandma's feelings. 👌