A mom took to social media and explained why she doesn’t allow her daughter’s grandparents to kiss or hug her.
Every parent has a routine or style when it comes to looking after their children, some may be firm but fair while others will try their best to be the child’s best pal.
But there is one thing all parents can agree on, which is looking out for their kids and teaching them important life lessons.
Brittany Baxter, from Australia, is teaching her daughter about consent.
In a viral TikTok video, she explained that adults, including the child’s grandparents, must ask her daughter for permission to kiss or hug her.
In the comments, she’s being praised for teaching such an important lesson.
A fellow parent shared: “This is so important! My husband and I are teaching consent as well. Recently, we started asking for hugs and kisses instead of saying ‘Give me a hug.’”
Another wrote: “Working on this with my two-year-old as well. We’ve had to reduce his interactions with my mother as she does not respect this. I feel no guilt.”
However, others believe Baxter has taken her views too far.
One viewer remarked: “How not to parent.”
Weighing in, a second added: “My grandparents hugged and kissed me as they pleased and I have no issues telling someone to go away if I don’t want to. This is just odd to me.”
In the video, Baxter began by saying (per the Mirror): “Can we please start normalizing the fact that kids do not have to kiss in front of adults?”
She continued: “My daughter’s almost two years old and I’ve been in the process of teaching her consent basically since the day that she’s been born.
“I find it really f***ing unhelpful when the adults in her life are like, ‘What?! We have to ask for a kiss and a hug?’ even though I’ve explained why multiple times.”
The mom explained that her daughter doesn’t ‘exist to make anyone feel more comfortable,’ adding: “It is not her fault and it’s not my fault that the older generation haven’t taken the time throughout their entire lives to learn how to regulate their emotions so consent doesn’t continue to be overlooked.
“No one’s feelings are ever going to be more important than my daughter’s right to her own body and I’m sure as s*** not going to allow her to grow up in an environment where, one, she doesn’t know how to say no.
“Two, she doesn’t know what it looks like for her not to be respected.”
She concluded her post by stressing that ‘grandparents [need to] do better.’
In a follow-up video, Baxter explained how she deals with anyone who oversteps the boundaries she has with her child, saying she will tell people they’re ‘practicing family consent’ and would appreciate it if they did the same.
