Hmmmm……
Not to get too political here but - wha?
OK, I see where they're going with this. They don't want little kids being interfered with by dirty older relatives. None of us do, but is this the answer? You could argue that forcing kids to kiss their smelly old fill-in-the-blank relative, on the cheek, in front of several other family members, shows them what is acceptable. When anything unacceptable happens, they will know that this isn't what normally goes on. We can't teach kids what is appropriate in a vacuum?
On a lighter note - the Sex Ed author also suggest that kids blow kisses or give grandma a high five. Really? I don't know about yours but I can just imagine the reaction in my family if my kids had tried to high five my mother. Well, first of all they would've stood there all day, hand raised, just hangin', while my mother wondered what on earth they were doing. Then there probably would've been the inevitable lecture on manners and respect, either from me or grandma.
You don't high five yer grandma!
And what about delicate octogenarian grandmas who are suffering from a touch of osteoporosis? High-fiving kids usually don't know their own strength, and many of them (mentioning no names) put their entire bodily weight behind it. Is the NHS prepared for the sudden increase in wrist fractures or concussions among the elderly?
HIgh fives indeed!
Tell it to the French was my immediate thought on this one. Drama Queen No. 2 who is 16 has been in France for 5 weeks on French Exchange over Christmas and was talking about the fact that now French school is back she really likes the way everyone kisses everyone else by way of greeting, every day - except the teacher she added hastily, so I guess there are some boundaries
ReplyDeleteLeave it to the government to take it too far. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteWhatever happened to common sense?
Wouldn't worry about the Grandma, but I have seen people forcing their kids to give affection to relatives-friends they don't see that often and it does make me feel uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteOh FFS, more nanny state idiocies.
ReplyDeleteWhatever next?
Ambient controlled playgrounds (so no one gets a chill)?
Sanitation dispensers on the tube (probably not a bad idea)?
Sugar monitors in coffee shops?
Some people just need to man up and get a life.
Preferably of their own.
LCM x
I remember having to kiss old aunties with hairy chins, so I never made my son do the same! Grandparents are different, and cuddles normal, but my son wasn't very touchy-feely (neither am I and I don't really like cheek/air kissing as a greeting) so I didn't make him hug other kids or other relatives beyond the grandparents.
ReplyDeleteI get the occasional spontaneous kiss or hug from him now, which is nice. You've just got to have common sense. I do despair of some people who get their knickers in a twist over silly things!
Where will they ever stop.
ReplyDeleteHowever, when I see my husband and mother-in-law trying to force my 6 year old to kiss her great-granny, whiskers n' all, I think a hi-5 would be much better!
When I read about this my immediate reaction was that once again, we're trying to throw the baby out with the bathwater (excuse the cliche). So we ban affection from family members just because some people abuse it? I would hate for my kids not to be able to hug and kiss their grandfather.
ReplyDeleteIt obviously depends on the culture too. Here in the mid-west of the USA everyone hugs everybody. People you've only just met will give you an enormous bear hug on leaving, so kids probably get used to hugging and being hugged.
ReplyDeleteI also think that having to hug odiferous older family members with whiskers where they shouldn't be, is part of life. We all get old, wrinkly and smelly but it's no reason to be shunned! (Slightly jesting there btw).
High fiving - ridiculous indeed!
ReplyDeleteWell...... my autistic grandson *high fives* me! Seems to be the best solution for someone not keen on touching!
ReplyDeleteAs for the so called *normal* grandchildren, much depends on whether they have any of their peers watching...... in which case they don't want to kiss any one.
My nine year old granddaughter comes flying over to me with open arms....... she doesn't seem to worry.
I think it is individual with our own families as to what way we greet each other.
I am a bit fed up with the way we are told to do this and that or not to do this and that in the name of child safety and PC. They seem to forget that we all have an element of common sense and children know who they want to hug/kiss or not.
Maggie x
Nuts in May
WEll said Maggie!
ReplyDeleteSuch a bizarre thing to say about kissing grandparents! I can tell you that I have a special hip bump, high five that I do with my grandpa but he is pretty hip, and I do have to watch out for jumping too high nowadays.
ReplyDelete