Editorial
A mum is going viral on social media after saying her daughter’s grandparents don’t have the ‘right’ to hug her without consent.
Every parent will have their own routine or style when it comes to looking after their children.
Some might be firm but fair, others might try their best to be their child’s best pal.
However, one thing that all parents can agree on is that they want the best for their kids and to teach them important life lessons.
And one mum has decided to teach her toddler all about consent.
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Australian Brittany Baxter has taken to TikTok to tell her followers that adults don’t have the right to hug and kiss her child whenever they want.
On top of that, they will need to ask her child for permission if they want to.
In the video, which has been viewed almost 800,000 times, Baxter says: “Can we please start normalising the fact that kids do not have to kiss in front of 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.
“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 TikToker continues to explain that her daughter’s body does not ‘exist to make anyone feel more comfortable’, nor should it make anyone feel ‘more loved’.
She says to her followers: “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.
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“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 the comments, people have praised the mum for teaching her daughter such an ‘important’ lesson.
@brittanybaxter_x I said what I said… #gentleparenting #consent #fyp
One parent says: “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.”
Someone else adds: “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.'”
However, some people believe Baxter has gone too far with her views.
One person writes: “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.”
While someone else agrees: “How not to parent.”
In a follow-up video, Baxter explains how she deals with anyone that steps the boundaries with her child, saying that will tell people that they are ‘practising family consent’ and that they would appreciate it if they did the same.
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