Reply to How often do you tell your children no when it comes to affection?

Forum Index » General Parenting Discussion

Reply to "How often do you tell your children no when it comes to affection?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]Your friend is doing it backwards.

Her kids will actually become more "needy" because when they asked for physical affection to help meet their emotional needs, their mom rejected them for the sole purpose of rejecting them.

It's fine to let your kid know you need space for whatever reason. Sometimes I tell my kid I can't do hugs at the moment because (1) I'm exercising or cooking or some other activity that makes a hug awkward or inconvenient, but I will hug them after, (2) I'm sick or injured and will ask them for a different form of affection that won't spread germs or is more comfortable, or (3) I'm just totally touched out and need some time to myself, in which case I frame it as me just needing some alone time and we'll make a plan to reconnect a little later.

But I would never tell my kid I won't hug her because she gets too many hugs or needs too much affection. That's a surefire way to turn her into someone who feels deprived of physical affection, which could lead to her being more needy with friends and romantic partners in the future. It's dysfunctional. It is a-ok to ask for a hug or physical affection from a loved one. My DH and I do it all the time.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics