The shocking reason you shouldn’t force your children to kiss and hug their relatives

Author slams kissing relatives

by A Jakes |
Published on

We have all heard of the lip-kissing debate.

Loads of people think kissing your child on the lips is not appropriate, whilst the rest think it's completely natural and people should focus on other things - like the this Made In Chelsea star joining the Hollyoaks village.

Even Sam Faier's partner Paul was called 'weird' for kissing mum Gaynor on the lips during their TV Show The Baby Diaries.

But now a new kissing debate has arrived and it's taking no prisoners. Oh no. A mum penned an opinion piece on why we shouldn't insist our children kiss and hug relatives they don't want to.

Mum, Author and Parenting Expert Sarah Ockwell Smith, writes for the Huff Post, 'It isn’t a ‘mark of respect’ for a child to hug or kiss an adult they don’t wish to have physical contact with. It is forcing a child to do something with their body against their will. '

'If you ou want your child to grow up with the confidence to say “no”, or “stop”, you have to show them the same courtesy from a very early age.'

'Children don’t belong to us, just like other family members are not our possessions. If we would not dream of touching a relative without their permission, or forcing them to touch us, we should apply the same courtesy to children.'

Sarah advises that if children don't want to give Grandma Betty a kiss, to encourage a 'nice smile or a high five instead' and to always give children an option.

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