Being a parent is hard.
Everyone has their own ways of doing it, but there’s no perfect way.
Lots of people on Reddit had something to say about a mom who decided to stop hugging her daughter. Keep reading to know more!
The mom shares her story.
A 37-year-old woman went on Reddit’s ‘Am I The A****e’ thread to talk about something that happened with her daughter.
“My daughter is smaller than other kids her age, so people treat her like she’s younger,” the woman said.
“She enjoys sitting on my or my husband’s lap and cuddling with us on the couch or in a chair,” she continued, adding that she started to think her daughter might be too old for that and that it could be causing her harm.
The day before the mom wrote her post, her 11-year-old daughter tried to sit on her lap and cuddle. “I told her she’s too old for that and to get off,” the mom said. “She got really upset, left, and slammed her door.”
Now, the girl wasn’t trying to cuddle with her mom, and there was tension at home. “She doesn’t talk to me unless she has to, and when I hugged her goodnight last night, she didn’t hug me back,” the mom explained.
“I feel really bad because I upset her, but I think she might be too old for sitting on my lap,” she said, wondering if she was wrong.
What did people on the internet think?
Sadly, many people on the internet thought the woman was wrong in the situation. They criticized her for giving up important time to bond with her daughter. In short, her story didn’t get a good response at all!
“Your daughter won’t want to cuddle for much longer. Maybe just a year left. You’re wasting that time instead of enjoying it,” one person said.
Another person added: “It’s okay to guide a child towards behaviors that match their age or tell them when something doesn’t feel right for you anymore. That’s part of helping them grow up. But you should redirect them to a behavior that’s okay (because they need to learn, they don’t know automatically) and remind them that even as your relationship changes, your love for them stays the same.”
“If you suddenly told her to ‘Get off’ without explaining first, it’s understandable why she felt rejected and is now unsure about what kind of physical affection is okay or not,” they said.
Another comment said: “I work at a nursing home. There’s a 78-year-old man who visits his 99-year-old mother every week. She has memory problems, but when they hug each other, they both look happy. You never stop needing love and affection from your parents.”
What do you think the mom should have done? Any tips for her? Share your thoughts in the comments!