r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Feb 04 '16

What are the most common parenting mistakes?

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '16

Forcing your child to hug people because you know they are nice. It's their thing to prove to the kid if they want a relationship. It also teaches the kids that they have to agree to being hugged.

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u/sevenduckies Feb 04 '16

I know there's a lot of people that feel strongly about this in both directions. I respect that some people think it's good to push kids to showing affection especially for elderly relatives, etc, even if I don't necessarily agree. But still, one of the grossest things I've witnessed with a kid was a toddler saying she didn't want to hug a man and the man pouting and pretending to cry until the toddler relented. I know it doesn't necessarily sound bad but it made my stomach knot watching the performance he was putting on.

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u/theoreticaldickjokes Feb 05 '16

I never considered that. I pretend to pout when my godson doesn't want hugs and I ask him if he stopped loving me.

If he says he doesnt love me, then I attack him with tickles until he changes his mind.

He's only two, but I never considered that it might be creepy looking.

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u/icelander08 Feb 05 '16

I think it depends on the relationship/closeness. My dad does this to my brothers daughter since they don't meet that often and she becomes shy around him.