She Doesnt Owe Anyone a Hug. Not Even at the Holidays

[TygrBright]

24. I love the Girl Scouts. They GET it.

Yes, showing affection is a nice thing for kids to learn. But there are better ways to learn it than being told to do something that they don't enjoy.

If exchanging hugs comes naturally in your family, they may learn it on their own anyway. But the VERY BEST way for a kid to learn it is to watch Mom or Dad, or older siblings, greet relatives at a holiday gathering with a "Hi, Auntie Jeanne! Can I give you a hug?" and then see the hug happen.

And they can learn a lot from Mom or Dad greeting a cousin their age with a "Hi, Billy! Can I give you a hug?" And when Billy says "No, thanks," and gets a big smile and a "Okay, glad to see you!" in return, they'll learn even more.

Kids sometimes listen to what you say, and occasionally learn from it.

But they ALWAYS watch what you do, and usually learn from THAT.

appreciatively,
Bright