We as parents have the responsibility to demonstrate for them that there are so many ways for us to show how we can love one another and that we have the privilege of defining who, how, when, and where we express our love for one another.
So many times, adults are under the impression that they can just reach out and demand that a child show them physical affection without asking if they can engage with the child. This is not ok! Children have the right to be asked and respected in what they say is and is not ok with them. Many times, we as adults have ascribed to notion that children are not cognizant to what they have a right to demand for themselves in terms of what feels right and comfortable for them. Sometimes we are ignorant of the level of understanding that children have about their rights as a “thinking, evolving, intelligent human being”. Children today are capable of articulating and engaging with other children and adults at a more sophisticated and authentic way that demands that they be honored and respected for what they feel and want in their life.
We as their care givers, have to be tuned into our children so that we can support them in being respected and being at the same time respectful. We must take the time to converse about loving and being loved. We must take the time to converse with them about what does and does not feel comfortable to them. We have to intervene in situations where we see they need validation and support for expressing their feelings, boundaries, and ways in which they engage in being or not being affectionate. It is personal preference. It is colored by the dynamics of the family contextual system. It is culturally influenced! It is impacted by the society, community, and social media.
There is so much that is impacting their “Divine Identity”, that in order to protect and sustain who they are and how they express their “soul”, we have to be vigilant and intentional as the “safeguards” of our children. When they are little, we provide the stage and circumstances for them to be in full expression of the artistry of their souls. When their world expands beyond us, we have to be prayerful that our diligence as parents and the village, will be the solid foundation on which they can be seen and heard for who they are and respected for what they expect from the world.
Heart4kidsadvocacyforum's Blog 
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