Community Chat

[esmerelda]

And sometimes they don't know them at all..."ify" or otherwise...because the family doesn't get together that often.  Or the person smells bad.  Or the person looks scary.

I agree...don't force it.  But "give Aunt Betty a hug" is not a "force."  A child seldoms initiates physical contact.  The adult usually has his/her arms out.

Jeez...not everyone is a molester. 

[garmer]

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@esmerelda wrote:

And sometimes they don't know them at all..."ify" or otherwise...because the family doesn't get together that often.  Or the person smells bad.  Or the person looks scary.

I agree...don't force it.  But "give Aunt Betty a hug" is not a "force."  A child seldoms initiates physical contact.  The adult usually has his/her arms out.

Jeez...not everyone is a molester. 

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I was just relating the recommendation of the GSA. I cannot express the tone of the above quote with written word alone. I tried by describing it as being cajoled...not a light hearted request.

While I did not make this recommendation, I agree with it, in the spirit of what they meant. They are not in any way insinuating that everyone is a molester.

There were people speaking out with the same sort of reaction that you expressed. A GSA representative appeared on tv to clarity their position. In just reading the piece, many thought they were condemning all hugs/physical displays of affection.

Sometimes you have to hear the spoken word to understand intent.

[ROMARY]

Absolutely, that's a given that not everyone has bad intentions.   There are plenty of nice/kind people who give gentle hugs.  Some/many children, have a keen sense of intuition.  And some are probably 'forced' to go over and get an extra tight hug from, say, an 'uncle', neighbor, or stranger.   So, I agree with the GS, alerting/suggesting that kids shouldn't have to be forced to be hugged and/or kissed by folks that they don't feel comfortable (with).  Good advice.  It's a good training technique in preparation for the fragile and sometimes naive tween/teen years.