Raise your hand if any of these scenarios sound familiar. After months of being apart, grandma finally gets to see your kid again so, of course, as soon as she walks in the door, you urge your offspring to “give Nana a hug.” Or maybe your toddler and her bestie are playing together and you want to capture the moment for the ‘Gram. The only thing cuter than the two of them pretending to have a tea party would be if they gave each other a hug, so you gently coax them into an embrace. The kids comply without protesting, so what’s the big deal?
While it may seem relatively harmless (your child loves his grandma!), telling your kids to hug people is actually highly problematic. “Children should be allowed to develop body autonomy,” says Dr. Lea Lis, child psychiatrist and author of No Shame: Real Talk with Your Kids. In other words, kids should decide who gets to touch them and when, even at an early age. “This will give them a sense of being in charge and means later when they are teenagers they will be more in control of their own body and feel confident to say no to unwanted sexualized touch,” she adds.
And that’s not all: “Forcing your child to hug someone when they don’t want to can result in them feeling resentment and even add to their social anxiety in some cases,” cautions Dr. Siggie Cohen, a psychologist specializing in child development. “Feeling comfortable hugging someone is a personal choice that’s tied to your child’s innate personality, level of sociability and personal preference. All factors that develop and change over time as your child grows,” she adds.
But what about hurting grandma’s feelings when she’s standing there, arms outstretched? We get it, you don’t want to offend a relative. But it’s really important to let your child choose what to do here without apologizing or making excuses on their behalf (i.e., “Sally’s just very shy, she’ll warm up!”), lest your child feel as though you’re disappointed or embarrassed by their decision not to show physical affection. Instead, tell your child that it really is OK to just say hello, or try suggesting an alternative greeting (like a high five or a fist bump).