(WHDH) — The Girl Scouts of the United States of America offered some words of advice ahead of the upcoming holiday. The organization asked parents not to pressure young girls into hugging loved ones.
The conversation stems from recent news headlines regarding sexual misconduct.
With the holidays just around the corner, The Girl Scouts of America sent a message to parents—she doesn’t owe anyone a hug, not even at the holidays.
The post on the organization’s parenting page says insisting a young girl give someone a hug could give her the wrong idea about consent and physical affection.
The post read in part: “Think of it this way, 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.”
Some parents who spoke to 7News said it makes sense.
“Having a 7 year old daughter, I’ve never forced her to give family members a hug. Certainly if they ask for one, it’s up to her to make that decision,” said Chris Holden.
Not everyone who spoke to 7News agreed with that, however.
“I think there’s a difference between hugging a stranger and hugging your family members. Hugging your uncle is certainly different than hugging someone off the street, so I think that should be taken into consideration,” said Bre Missler.
Either way, the topic has certainly sparked discussion leading up to the holidays.
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