You wouldn't make an adult hug you - so why should a child be any different?
That's what one Australian mom is trying to get her relatives - and the internet - to understand.
Brittany Baxter has gone viral on TikTok for explaining how she teaches consent to her two-year-old child.
In one video posted to the social media platform, Baxter describes how she lets her toddler say no to hugs and kisses from relatives if she doesn't feel comfortable with them.
“As a parent, I practice consent with my daughter and something’s really been bothering me, so I thought why not take it to TikTok so we can talk about it,” she begins in the clip.
Check out her insightful video below:“Can we please start normalizing the fact that kids do not have to kiss and hug adults?
“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, and 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," she continued.
Baxter goes on to describe how relatives often feel offended if her daughter chooses not to kiss or cuddle them, saying: "When she says no, they’re like ‘Oh she doesn’t love me my feelings are so hurt’ and then they proceed to overstep her body boundaries anyway."
She then explained why she thought it was unfair to make a child responsible for the feelings of her older relatives.
"My daughter and her body do not exist to make anyone feel more comfortable and to make anyone feel more loved, 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**t not going to allow her to grow up in an environment where 1. She doesn’t know how to say no, and 2. She doesn’t know what it looks like for her not to be respected."
Baxter finished the video by saying: “Grandparents do better.”
The clip has been viewed over 400,000 times on Baxter's TikTok, which she has since made private.
Meanwhile, other users who support Baxter's parenting style have been dueting her video, nodding along to her explanation.
Some took to the comments section to criticize Baxter's consent rules, but many others disagreed and left messages saying they teach their children consent in the same way.
"I do the same with my son. I do not make him do anything he feel uncomfortable doing and I don’t tolerate," commented one.
"I never told my kids they have to hug, kiss, or talk to people if they don't want to. if folks get mad I don't explain we shrug and walk away," added another.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
