The mom of 2, who has been working as a therapist for 2 decades, shared that you should always ask your child’s consent before hugging them.
Forty-one-year-old Jessica MacNair has made a series on TikTok sharing all the things she would never do with her kids.
And what she had to say about asking permission before hugging her child has gotten a lot of people talking.
Some agree with her comments, with one TikTok user writing: “Totally agree with all of these! My mil used to always say my kids had to give their uncle a hug and I’d say nope!”
However, another was a little taken aback by what she had to say: “Ask to hug your kids? You ask to hug your kids? Wow,” they wrote.
To which she responded: “Sure do. Demonstrating consent is one of the best things I can teach them.”
In the TikTok video, MacNair explains: “In terms of parenting, there is so much conflicting information out there, I experienced that myself.”
However, she goes on to give some top tips to help parents create a “secure attachment” with their child.
“A lot of people follow and trust me and there are some first-time parents who might be trying to figure things out, I thought it might be helpful for them.”
MacNair went on to discuss her hugging advice, explaining it’s important “for them [kids] to advocate for themselves and be an adult, they have to learn how to give consent.”
“To model that from a young age is important, the older gen didn’t have that so they don’t realize you can say no.
“More often than not they do say yes, and that’s more meaningful. It can feel like an offensive rejection but I always remember they don’t owe you anything, and they have to be able to advocate for themselves even if it’s not what you want,” she said.
You can watch her video here.
What do you think?