Children have awareness of their bodies at a very young age (even younger than you might think!).
Children also have the awareness of what feels "right and good" and what feels "wrong and bad".
When we place expectations on our children to "hug or kiss" relatives or friends and shame them or punish them when they do not, they begin to lose that ability to engage with their intuition and verbalise when they do not feel ok doing something.
Instead allow your child the environment and dignity to say "no" or that "they don't want to do something". For example: “Do you want to hug you aunt hello?” If they say “no” then respect that. Express to family that you’re teaching the child physical autonomy and what it means to have control over your body and what consent is.
This will assist the child in later development.
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