The family and friends you surround yourself with around the holidays are people you are close with. That’s why you choose to spend your holidays with them. It’s a time of love, giving and — hopefully — a time for kids to learn the concept of the family unit.
Well, the Girl Scouts say "screw that" to showing family members love and respect during the holiday season — or any other season for that matter.
The Girl Scouts recently published a “reminder” article on their website to tell parents how to raise their children. The article’s purpose — which reads like the Girl Scouts are some sort of moral compass — is to inform parents that they shouldn’t tell their children to hug or kiss members of their own family.
“Think of it this way,” the article states, “telling your child that she owes someone a hug either just because she hasn’t seen this person in a while or because they gave her a gift can set the stage for her questioning whether she 'owes' another person any type of physical affection when they’ve bought her dinner or done something else seemingly nice for her later in life.”
Listen, I can somewhat understand the kiss part of the equation, but to tell your kid not to hug grandma because of some delusional fear that the hug will somehow make the child more prone to victimhood is absolutely crazy.
You can disagree with me if you’d like, but even though I may not have always wanted to do it, I realized that sometimes hugging a family member that happens to not live in your home was a sign of respect for said family member.
If there is a member of your family that is somewhat questionable in terms of their own proclivities, then why is that person in your home?
Here’s some more psycho-babble B.S. from the article:
The notion of consent may seem very grown-up and like something that doesn’t pertain to children,” says Girl Scouts’ developmental psychologist Dr. Andrea Bastiani Archibald, “but the lessons girls learn when they’re young about setting physical boundaries and expecting them to be respected last a lifetime, and can influence how she feels about herself and her body as she gets older. Plus, sadly, we know that some adults prey on children, and teaching your daughter about consent early on can help her understand her rights, know when lines are being crossed, and when to go to you for help.
You can teach your kid all that without being a weirdo in front of the rest of your family.
Women and young girls should absolutely learn about physical boundaries and being comfortable in their own skin. And yes, while some adults do prey on children, those “adults” aren’t in my house during the holidays, and they shouldn't be in yours either.
The Girl Scouts are basically saying to not force your daughter to hug family members if that’s not what she wants to do. It’s a slippery slope where children will eventually — and sometimes already do — wield more power than their parents.
If your grandmother gives you a gift during the holidays, you better get your butt over there, give her a big hug and say "thank you, grandma!”