“Am I The [Jerk] For Telling My 9 Y.O. Son He Shouldn’t Touch Girls Without Their Consent?”

“The times they are a-changin’,” Bob Dylan famously belts out. Although written for a completely different time—the tumultuous and divisive ’60s—these words make more and more sense as the generations pass by. Back then, it was gay rights (barely existent but slowly gaining traction) that society had a hard time adjusting to. Today, it’s the importance of affirmative consent that people are still coming to grips with.

Traditionally, you may have heard this term tossed around when discussing sexual activity to which both parties have to agree (“no means no“). These days, however, parents and elementary school teachers try to teach kids—very curious little creatures—that consent is much more than a verbal agreement. Something they should pay attention to and notice when they’re a bit older and swarming with hormones. The problem: not every adult views consent as important of a topic as you might think.

As this parent shares in their ‘Am I The [Jerk]‘ story, they learned this the hard way after being accused of blowing “innocent playground fun” out of proportion. Although, all this concerned parent did was talk to their 9-year-old son that it’s not okay to touch other kids, especially those of opposite gender, without first asking for their permission.

Wishing to learn what other parents have to say about this, the author turned to the trusted ‘Am I The [Jerk]’ community to seek perspective.

Teaching children about the importance of others’ personal space is an important part of parenting

Image credits: Kelly Sikkema

After being blamed for blowing “innocent playground fun” out of proportion, this parent shared their story with the ‘AITA’ community

People were unanimous in reassuring this parent that they are doing everything just fine

In the end, the author didn’t expect their story to receive so much attention and thanked everyone for their say

The post “Am I The [Jerk] For Telling My 9 Y.O. Son He Shouldn’t Touch Girls Without Their Consent?” first appeared on Bored Panda.

Source: boredpanda.com